Pirates of the Caribbean The Owned Soul
by Kayla Sparrow
Summary: Jack Sparrow has a soul debt to pay up to the legendary Davy Jones, who has an evil plan to make the Captain give him what he wants. And it involves...a girl. What happens when things don't go according to plan, though?
1. Chapter 1 : The Beginning

A/N: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. I own Kayla Arrow, my personal character. Enjoy, and please R&R:) 

"_Is everything ready?" _

"_All is ready for the plan."_

"_When will we begin?"_

"_Tomorrow."_

"_You remember what you have to do?"_

"_Well, it's not exactly like I have a choice now, do I?"_

"_Stop fooling around and answer me."_

"_Yes, don't worry, Captain. I'll take care of everything."_

"_Good. I'm eager to finish this once and for all. Go now, we must hurry."_

_Alone once more, he turned around on the deck and marched to the edge of the ship, looking at the open ocean._

"_You are about to pay your debt once and for all," he whispered dangerously, "Jack Sparrow."_

**Pirates of the Caribbean**

**The Owned Soul**

"All hands on deck! Set the sails! Heave the anchor! And move it, you scurvy dogs!"

"Aye, Capt'n!"

Jack Sparrow walked proudly along the deck of his ship, _The Black Pearl_, watching as the sailors hurried back and forth to obey his commands. Yes, he was indeed the Captain of the ship, and he had passed not few troubles to be it, too.

The crew was to head towards Tortuga that day, where they would remain for a couple of days in the hope of finding what they needed for their next voyage, in search of a lost treasure.

Jack smiled at the thought: somewhere out there, hidden, was the biggest treasure one could possible dare dreaming of, and he was determined to find it. The fact that the legends he'd heard all mentioned impossible obstacles and deadly threats of all sorts didn't bother him too much: he was used to coping with such dangers.

He was grateful of having a crew at least half as crazy as he was, who usually accepted to follow him in whatever death-promising mission he'd come up with, as long as there were riches involved in it. It was a pretty disturbing thought, knowing that they only followed him for the treasure. But hell, they _were_ pirates, weren't they?

His thoughts snapped back to the present when he saw someone rushing over to the rail, as though he'd seen something, before calling out to all the other pirates, who quickly followed him, gathering around.

Jack, confused and surprised by the sudden commotion, promptly switched his march towards the group.

"Oi!" he called out, "What's the matter with you-?"

But before he could finish, he saw with his own eyes what had captured the crew's attention: not too far from them, there was another ship, and looking more closely Jack saw that there was somebody – a girl, he noticed right after – who was being forced to walk the plank, wrists tied and group of pirates urging her in the backround.

The girl, who evidently had figured she had no other choice but to jump, lifted her head with dignity and began walking down the plank, before one of the pirates gave the piece of wood a strong shake, making her lose her balance and plunge straight into the water with a choked scream. The pirates watched her go and laughed, before one of them barked the order to set sail and the ship moved on a few moments later.

Meanwhile, Jack's crew watched astonished as the girl gasped for breath, desperately trying to keep herself above the surface, before being pulled underwater by the waves. Jack knew at once that something had to be done. Seeing that nobody else moved a muscle, he shook his head.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," he said, before taking off his hat and his belongings, handing them over to one of his mates, and jumping headfirst into the water.


	2. Chapter 2 : Kayla

He swam around, looking for the girl, and saw her not too far from where he was, tossing around with all her might. He went towards her as fast as he could, but she passed out just as he came up besides her. He gently took her and started pulling her upwards. A few moments later, he broke the ocean surface and took a deep breath, looking to see where the _Pearl_ had gone.

Swimming towards it, he finally reached the ship and grasped the ladder his crew had thrown over the edge, pulling himself up with one arms while holding the girl with the other. With one last effort, Jack heaved the girl on the deck and crawled back on the ship, breathing heavily.

The girl was still unconscious. Everybody gathered around her and Jack, who dragged himself besides her, looking to see if she gave any sign of being alive.

"What now, Capt'n?" asked Mr.Gibbs, one of Jack's most trusted mates.  
"She's not breathing," said Jack, who had gently leaned his head against the girl's chest, "Well, we can't very well let her die, can we?" he asked, looking around to see if someone had anything to say. Then, he took a deep breath and leaned in to give the girl a mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

After a few dreaded moments during which the girl didn't budge, her eyes sprang open and her chest suddenly heaved, and Jack swiftly moved back to let her breathe. She panted, looking around, visibly lost. Jack, who in the meantime had gotten back on his feet, took back his hat and belongings and put them back in place before outstretching his arms and offering his hand to the girl.

"Welcome back amongst the living, Miss," he said.

"Who…what…where….where am I?" she asked, looking around.

"Now now, not to worry luv, you're safe and-" Jack began, before being interrupted.

"You're pirates!" exclaimed the girl

Jack, slightly taken aback by her statement, exchanged glances with the crew, "Yes well, we-"

"How did I get here?" asked the girl, getting up and continuing to turn her head left and right, staring at the pirates.

"I-" Jack tried to explain.

"Did you...did you save me?" asked the girl, suddenly stopping to stare at Jack.

The entire crew, who had been gazing at the girl, suddenly turned it's attention towards Jack.

"Well I…I guess I did," he said finally, unsure if that was the right answer.

He was once again taken aback as the girl marched straight towards him and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a nearly choking embrace. Slightly dazed from her action, Jack stood still, not knowing what to do. The girl finally let him go and pulled back, standing a few inches from him.

"Thank you," she said, still breathing heavily, "You don't know how grateful I am! If those pirates had figured…if they'd understood they were making a mistake…oh, it would've been horrible, yes, horrible indeed…you have no idea of what disaster you've prevented…oh, my… thank you, thank you so much, Mister-?"

"Captain," he corrected her automatically, "Captain Jack Sparrow."

She smiled and straightened herself up, "Well, Captain Sparrow, I truly thank you for saving my life from those dreadful pirates."

"My honour, Miss," answered Jack, before turning to face his crew, "All right, gentlemen, back to work! I want this ship going now!"

"Where are you headed, may I ask?" asked the girl.

"To the island of Tortuga," answered Jack, walking up the steps towards the upper deck and taking control of the rudder.

"Ah, Tortuga," she repeated, as though she'd already heard the name.

They passed a few moments in silence, as she let her gaze wander to the horizon as she leaned on the ship's rail and as Jack contemplated an old compass, jerking his head up and down to check if they were heading the right way.

Turning around and leaning on the rail however, the girl noticed that the compass was not pointing North, and wondered what it was for.

"So," said Jack after another moment of silence, still guiding the ship and checking the compass now and then, "You have a name, Miss?"

"Yes, I do, in fact."

"You want to tell me what it is?" he asked, looking at her intensely.

"Kayla," she said, grinning, "Kayla Arrow."

"Ah, wonderful name," commented Jack, "And what brought a bonnie lass like yourself into the hands of those dim witted pirates?"

Kayla stifled a laugh as she answered, "They captured me some time ago. They thought I could…be useful to them. Unfortunately, when I refused to follow their orders, they thought they might as well let me drown in the ocean."

Jack made a tut-tut ting sound, shaking his head, "Shame on them, lass. Shame on them."

"Yes, I suppose it's their loss in the end," commented Kayla mysteriously, before turning back towards the sea, "When will we be arriving at Tortuga?"

"Soon, luv, don't worry," answered Jack, who's attentions were back on the ship and the compass, "You just sit back and enjoy the ride, darling, and leave the rest to me."


	3. Chapter 3 : A Drink at the Tavern

A/N: Thank you for the comments, I really appreciate them!! ) And I hope you continue enjoying the story! I promise to update as soon as I get more reviews! ;)

That night, just after the sun had gone down, the _Pearl _entered Tortuga's harbour and docked in the port. The crew left the ship and disappeared amongst the other sailors and pirates that populated Tortuga. It was a dirty, messy town, mostly occupied by pubs where the sailors got drunk and went in search of some pleasurable company. Pirates and prostitutes filled the streets, and everywhere one looked there was firelight, music, fights, talking, yelling, singing and dancing: it was full of life. There were no rules in Tortuga, and there never would be.

Personally, Jack had to talk with a few old pals of his, who probably knew something more about the legendary treasure and who, if not a precise route, probably could leave him at least with a decent heading. He had no intention of sailing around the seven seas without a destination, that was for sure.

He disembarked followed by Gibbs and Kayla, and the three of them headed towards Jack's usual pub, where he was sure to find the men he was looking for. After a few minutes' walk, they entered inside the pub, where there was the usual brawling of people talking, laughing, yelling from one end of the room to the other, and even fighting. The pub was an old-fashioned canteen, mostly made out of wood. The only light came from a series of candles attached to the walls, the counter was roughly made out of wood, as the stools that stood around it, and scattered all around were different sized tables, some occupied and a few free.Suddenly, Mr.Gibbs seemed to recognize somebody sitting at one of the tables and left Jack and Kayla.

"Where's he going?" Kayla asked Jack.

"Ah, not to worry, he's probably seen some mate of his," came the reply, "So, what can I buy you?"

"Huh?" said Kayla, who couldn't hear him very well because of all the commotion.

"Drinks, luv." Jack repeated, making a drinking gesture.

"Oh. Well, I don't know…whatever suits you!"

"Ah, very well, very well," said Jack, "Go ahead and sit at that table over there, I'll be with you in just a second."

Kayla disappeared into the crowd, heading towards the table Jack had pointed out, and Jack turned, making his way to the counter.

"Oi!" he called out, waving his arms to call the owner's attention, "The usual, for two, mate!"

As the owner served him, Jack wondered why Kayla had followed him, but thought she probably had nowhere else to go. He could only pray that he wouldn't have to take care of her, he didn't have time for that. Taking the two drinks the owner shoved at him, he started pushing through the crowd to get to the table.

"Cheers," he said once he'd reached Kayla, sliding her drink on the table to her.

She promptly catched it and they made a toast, before starting to drink.

"What brings you to Tortuga?" asked Kayla, her eyes shining mysteriously under the candlelight as she drank.

"Information," was Jack's vague answer.

To his great surprise, Kayla smiled shaking her head, before taking another sip from her cup and saying something that made Jack's heart skip a beat.

"You're looking for the Lost Treasure, aren't you?" she asked softly, looking at her hands cupped around her drink.

Jack choked on his own drink, set his cup down, and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, "What – " he began, looking around him anxiously before returning his attention to Kayla, "How do you know?"

Kayla raised her gaze towards him and smiled once more, "Don't ask me how. Ask me where."

"Come again?" asked Jack, still more confused.

"I know where it is." She whispered, her eyes sparkling dangerously, "I know where to find the Lost Treasure."


	4. Chapter 4 : A Heading

**A/N : Hey guys! I'm happy to see more and more people are reading my story… and I'm glad to post a new chapter! Keep reading guys, I promise it's just gonna get better ;)**

**-Kayla**

There was silence for a couple of moments, then…

"Ha!" Jack laughed, "Admitting that this _is _that treasure I am looking for, you honestly expect me to believe that _you_, amongst all these," he stretched his arms, indicating the other pirates in the pub, "Know where that treasure is?"

"Why do you think those pirates wanted me then?"

Kayla's answer left Jack speechless.

"They captured me," explained Kayla, "Because they knew I was the key to that treasure. They thought I would agree on taking them there. But when I refused to confess the right way to go, even under their many threats, they decided I was better off dead. After all, if they couldn't have the treasure, why should somebody else have the opportunity to find it?" she grinned maliciously, "They evidently hadn't thought of you, Jack Sparrow."

"Captain," corrected Jack, "It's Captain Jack Sparrow. So you're telling me you didn't tell them where the treasure was, but you want to tell _me?_"

Kayla nodded.

Jack made a doubting face, "Why?"

Kayla sigh, looking at him intently, "I've heard great stories about you, Captain Jack Sparrow. Some say you're a disgraced pirate. Some say you're a living myth. And, personally, I have nowhere to go and nobody to be with, so hell, why not try piracy for a change?"

"You mean you want to become a pirate."

"Basically, yes."

"And you want to guide me to the Lost Treasure."

"Right again, Captain."

Jack was silent for a moment, before nodding his head, "I see," he said almost to himself, "Listen, missy," he then added, leaning in closer to Kayla, "Do you have any idea what that treasure is? That treasure just so happens to be the largest fortune ever put together. Pirates have been looking for it for centuries, and nobody has ever found out the way to find it. So you'll excuse me if I don't entirely believe that you alone are the key to this fortune."

"Oh, no, how silly of me, I was wrong," Kayla began, "Of course _I'm_ not the key!"

Jack, who was ready to say, "I told you," was stunned when the girl reached for her neck and pulled out a necklace he'd failed to notice before, to which an object he immediately recognized was hanging.

"_This _is the key to the Lost Treasure," said Kayla, untying the necklace and handing it over to Jack without hesitation, "True enough now, Captain?" she questioned.

"…And this is why Miss Arrow will be joining our crew, lads. Savvy?"

There was a confused murmur amongst the pirates, who eyed Kayla suspiciously. In return, the girl merely glanced right back at them.

"Er, Capt'n?" said Mr.Gibbs cautiously,breaking away from the rest of the group and placing an arm around Jack's shoulders to turn him around and speak to him in private.

"Yes, Mr.Gibbs?"

"Well, surely you know that…well," he muttered, "A woman…having her aboard…'tis bad luck, Capt'n…"

"Aye, that I know," answered Jack, who had expected this reaction, "However I can assure you that _this_ woman will be of no bad luck at all. On the contrary," he added, spinning around to face the crew and Kayla and smiling, "She'll be our fortune."

Nobody else dared comment the Captain's decision: even though all of them thought the same thing, if Mr.Gibbs had failed to make Jack change his mind, nobody else could do it.

"All right, Miss Arrow," he continued, striding towards the girl, "As you can see we're all set up and ready to go. What we need now…" he stopped in front of her, "…is a heading."

Kayla nodded, then turned to walk a few paces across the _Pearl's_ deck, loooking at the sea, before turning back towards the crew and announcing, "We must proceed towards East for three days. After that, I will tell you which way we must turn. Only I know the way to the Treasure, and I've decided that I will reveal the route as we travel. I won't tell you all the way, so that if you decide to kill me while we're on our way, you're going to be the only ones who will have something to regret."

The crew murmured once more, and even Jack seemed doubtful for a second, before brighting back up once again, "Of course, love," he said, "You heard her!" he then yelled at the pirates, "Now get on with it! Quickly, lads!"

The crew began to scurry back and forth across the ship, with a little less enthusiasm than usual, and soon enough they found themselves out of the harbour and back into the open sea. The ship dived smoothly amongst the waves, and they swiftly began their journey.


	5. Chapter 5 : It's CAPTAIN Jack

Some time later, Jack found Kayla leaning on the the rail and looking out at the sea, with a very thoughtful look upon her face. Not having anything better to do, he stepped up to her and leaned on the rail besides her.

"Wonderful ocean, isn't it?" he commented, "Makes you think."

"Yes, it does," she replied, "I've always loved the sea."

"Have you now?"

"Well," she explained, "My parents were both merchants. Actually, my father was a merchant, but both my mother and I followed him around in his trips. That's why I love the sea, I've been used to it since I was a child!"

Jack smiled, the girl seemed to really have a feel for the ocean, like he did.

"What about you, Captain?"

"Huh? Me?" he said, surprised by her question.

She nodded, "How did you decide to become a pirate?"

"Well luv, you see, it's not like you decide to become one, you just…do."

"I guess you were just born to be one, then?"

"Aye, you could say that," he said, satisfied with her answer.

The hours passed by as the crew continued sailing, and for the whole day they were lucky to find calm sea, which meant there wasn't much work to do and they didn't have to worry about the ship too much. Jack took over the rudder and passed the time commanding the ship and giving orders, sometimes taking a break and talking with Kayla or someone else from the crew. Kayla, on her behalf, spent her time exploring the ship, and thinking about their trip. She knew there wasn't much to expect of a ship, but she also found that sometimes exploring one could bring interesting surprises. Before they knew it, the day had gone by, and Jack left the control of the ship to one of his mates, while he and the rest of the crew, including Kayla, went inside to have dinner.

The table was filled with food, as they had just left Tortuga where they had bought a great amount of supplies including various foods. The wooden, large room was filled with candlelight, and the big table occupied most of the space. The pirates cheered and dug in on the food and the drink.

Jack was sitting at one end of the table, smiling and cheering with the others, while Kayla sat rather quietly besides him. Indeed, while on one side she was almost embarassed by their behaviour, on the other she was somewhat fascinated by their philosophy of life: all they ever cared about was to enjoy themselves and have the best out of life. They didn't have a single care in the world.

Kayla passed her dinner almost without talking, and then retired to her cabin, which Jack had provided to assign her when they'd first set sail. Even though he had tried to make her a part of the group, she couldn't help but feel like an outcast: she knew she was just…different from them.

When she was back in her cabin, she slipped into the bed covers and went to sleep, trying to rest as much as possible: it had been a very tiering day.

The next day, the sun was high in the sky, playing with the clouds, and there were slightly more waves than the day before. Jack walked across the main deck, moving his gaze between his men working and the sea swaying in front of his eyes. Nobody seemed to care or bother about the movements the ship made because of the waves, since all of them were used to the sea's movements. Jack, pacing, got lost in his thoughts quickly.  
"Here we are," he thought, "Lost, apparently with no route, in open sea. I'd like to know what made me agree with that girl in the first place. God, have I gone nuts? Some lass shows me an absolutely normal key, tells me she knows where _my_ treasure is, and what do I do? I take her on my ship and agree on following her God knows where! I just hope she knows what she's doing, I wouldn't want to end up making her walk the plank like those other pirates," he stopped, seeing that a bucket full of water had just been splashed right on top of him. He stiffened, feeling the cold water rush down his back, and then looked upwards furiously, looking to see where it had come from and, most of all, who had dared throw it to him, "OI!" he yelled angrily upwards towards the tallest mast, between the huge sails, where he found Kayla, who had somehow managed to climb on top and had been busy washing the mast lookout, as she looked back at him and smiled.

"Sorry, Jack!" she yelled, "Didn't see you down there! Clumsy me!"

"Captain Jack," he murmured, before repeating it louder towards her, "It's **CAPTAIN **Jack!"

"Oh, all right Jack!" she said, before shrugging and signalling for one of the pirates to send her another bucket.

"What the blazes are you doing up there, girl?" he asked her, irritated.

"I was washing the ship, of course!"

"Washing the-" said Jack to himself, confused, before replying, "That's the men's job!"

"Well, just because I'm not a man doesn't mean I can't wash a ship properly!"

"Then how come you just dumped a bucket of water on top of me?"

"It's not like I aimed it, you know!" she snapped back, "Next time be more careful when you walk!" And without another word, she disappeared, bending down to get the bucket one of the sailors had sent up to her.

For as long as he could remember, Jack had never let a woman shut him up before. However noticing that the whole crew had stopped working to see the scene between him and Kayla, he shook himself, made a face, saying, "What are you looking at? Get back to work!" and then wandering off towards the other end of the ship to take control of the rudder.

"Women," he grumbled as he climber the stairs to the upper deck.


	6. Chapter 6 : An Unexpected Visit

A/N: Hey guys! I am so happy you like my story, and sorry if the chapters have been short until now…since I see most of you would like them to be longer, I'll start posting more stuff, okay:) Keep on reviewing, people!! Thanks and good reading!

-Kayla

Later that day, Jack was descending the stairs to the lower deck, allowing his gaze to wander off in the horizon, his hands together behind his back, his head held high, proud of his ship. He was thinking about going into his cabin to consult some maps, when unexpectedly he heard Kayla's voice come from behind him, calling him.

"Jack! Jack!" she called out, running across the deck to reach him at the stairs, tripping right before the first step and plunging straight forwards.

Jack barely had the time to turn around and see her trip and fly over the first few steps, before crashing into him, and making both of them tumble down the rest of the stairs. They landed with a painful thud, Jack on top of Kayla.

He blocked himself when their eyes locked together, and deny as they may, both of them couldn't repress a shiver that had nothing to do with the ocean breeze. Kayla breathed heavily, unable to speak, finding herself both comfortable and uncomfortable with Jack so close to her.

The ship had suddenly gone very quiet, and everybody's eyes were upon him; Jack had to bring himself together to stop staring at her. Clearing his throat, he got off of her and back on his feet, offering his hand to help her get up.

"What the hell were you doing, Kayla?" he asked.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry, I- OUCH!" she yelled, bending down to clutch an ankle.

He kneeled immediately besides her, "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, sure," she answered, looking at him, "Weak ankles," she whispered smiling.

He smiled back, "Well, come on then," he said, taking Kayla's arm around his shoulders and helping her get up, allowing her to lean on him and supporting her weight.

He walked her to his quarters, where he made her sit down – Kayla felt the strangest feeling in the pit of her stomach when he let her go – and put her on what was usually his own chair, before saying, "I want you to stay here and rest, ok? If we see the ankle swell, I'll ask Gibbs what to do, he'll certainly know what's best. I'll-"

"Oh no, no, please!" she exclaimed, making him stare at her, not understanding, "Please, I'm sure it's nothing really. No need to fuss, honestly. Look, I can already get back on my feet!"

And with that, she pushed herself up from the chair and, even though Jack saw her stumble slightly at first, she regained her posture, "See?" she said, looking at him.

After a short pause, Jack said, "Well alright, but will you _please_ do me a favour?"

"Tell me, Captain," she replied, looking him straight in the eye.

"Just…just be careful next time, luv. Savvy? I wouldn't want you to get hurt," he said, almost muttering this last part under his breath.

"I will, Jack," she answered, nodding.

"Captain-" he corrected her hopelessly.

"What sorry?"

"It's…it's Captain Jack," he repeated, before shaking his head, "All right then, I'd better get back on deck. Oh," he added, "And by the way, what was all the fuss about?"

"I just wanted to warn you," she declared, "Tonight we must change our heading towards North. We're getting closer to the treasure. I just thought you'd like to know."

Jack was silent for a moment, before nodding and turning to exit the room, only to spin around once more a moment later and point a finger towards her, "Kayla?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"You…." He paused for a second, "Stay out of trouble, luv."

"Aye, Captain," she answered, smiling and watching him leaving the room. "You're not getting to _me_, Jack Sparrow," she said softly, shaking her head and grinning as though the mere though was simply outrageous.

That night, as the crew was enjoying their usual meal, Jack couldn't help but notice that Kayla was more silent than usual. She barely touched her food, and almost didn't say a word. Surprised at how concerned he found he was for her, at one point while all the others were too busy digging in on the food to make too much noise, he leaned in towards her, until his lips were besides her ear, and whispered, "How's it going, luv?"

She shivered slightly at the sound of his voice and at the feel of his moustache against her ear, but quickly pulled herself together, "Fine."

"Well cheer up then," he said, pulling back from her, "You're on the _Black Pearl_, after all!"

She merely smiled, and he returned to his meal. The two didn't speak again during the dinner, as Jack was busy explaining their new heading to Gibbs.

Later that night, when the rest of the crew had long gone to bed, Jack was the only one still on deck, as he was busy changing the ship's direction. He was silently contemplating his personal compass, him, frowning slightly, and spun around when he heard soft footsteps approach him: it was Kayla.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" she asked, casually.

"No, no, not at all luv," he answered, closing the compass and placing it back into one of his coat pockets, "What's with the night stroll?"

"Nothing really," she answered, trying to keep a casual tone, "Thought I could do with some fresh air and a walk is all."

She was now besides him, and they stood silently, both raising their heads eventually towards the sky to contemplate the stars.

"Wonderful," murmured Kayla, "They are so breathtaking."

"Aye, luv," said Jack, "Makes you see why I love the sea, ei?"

"Sure," she said, grinning, "It makes you feel so…"

"…free," said Jack.

"…vulnerable," said Kayla.

"…alone," both added in unison.

They looked at each other: Kayla giggled nervously, Jack smiled uneasily and cleared his throat a couple of seconds after. Suddenly he didn't quite know what else to say.

"Well, I suppose I'll just…finish my walk then," said Kayla, not beeing able to stand the awfully awkward silence any longer.

"Aye, go ahead then," replied Jack, glad she'd interrupted the moment.

"All right, good night then… _Captain_," she said as she started descending the stairs to the lower deck, saluting him with her hand.

"G'night darling," answered Jack.

And with one last grin, Kayla left him. As soon as her figure disappeared into the darkness, he took a deep breath.

"What on earth is wrong with you, Jack Sparrow?" he asked himself, hoping she wouldn't be able to hear him, "Get a grip on yourself and concentrate. You've got more important things to think of," he paused, and shook himself when he saw he was looking in the direction Kayla had left, "…Like that damn treasure!" and with that, he reached for his compass and went back to directing the ship.

Meanwhile, Kayla had strolled all the way down the deck to the prow of the ship, making her way into the foggy darkness. She walked over to the rail and leaned her elbows on it, letting out a deep sigh. She turned her head slowly, and gasped when she saw a dark figure attached to the side of the ship, staring right at her.

It took her a second to recognize who it was, but she knew right after, him being undoubtly unmistakable: right leg shaped like a lobster's and with the same hard shell, horribly disfigured fish-like body, large pirate clothes, and of course, the numerous octopus tentacles hanging around his face instead of a normal beard, and right above that, the octopuslike face and his cold icy eyes.

"Well, good evening to ye, Miss Arrow. Enjoying the trip?"

She merely looked at him, nonplussed, "Hello, Davy."

He drifted magically in the air, soaring up to the deck and landing almost gracefully upon the ship.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, he's at the rudder right now you know?" said Kayla, returning to rest on the rail.

"Kayla me sweet, didn't ye think I knew so?" he said, gliding besides her, "Tis what all this fog is for, see? Don't worry yer little head off, I won't be caught so easily."

Kayla shrugged, but didn't say anything. She didn't seem disturbed at all by the fact that one of the most feared legendary sea creatures, the owner of the sea himself – if not _the_ sea _it_self- not to mention the Captain of the Flying Dutchman and it's cursed crew, completely formed by men who had desperately accepted to give him their soul instead of dying at sea, was standing right besides her: Davy Jones, in the flesh.

"How's the plan proceeding?" he asked, suddenly losing all mocking in his voice and growing serious, "Ye got everything under control?"

"Sure, I do," answered Kayla promptly, "Just as you said."

"Ye made him change the route?"

Kayla nodded, "Aye, not too long ago for that matter."

"Good lass," he said, leaning against the rail like her.

She moved her gaze unwillingly to his deformed arm, shaped like a lobster's claw, and shivered slightly.

"Not quite charming, eh?" he asked, noticing this, "Well, tis the price ye pay, missy. Ye got to give something up if ye want to follow yer heart. You should know-"

"Stop that!" she snapped, and he grinned satisfactionally: he knew he could always make her angry bringing up the one thing she hated to talk about and would die rather than confess.

If someone else had dared snap back at him that way, his body would already be lieing on the ocean floor, but Kayla, he couldn't kill. He needed her for his plan, and besides, he knew it was harder for her to live rather than die, under certain aspects.

"All right, you needn't shout," he finally said.

She merely huffed, "Why have you come here even tonight?"

"To check on ye," he answered immediately, adding, without too many compliments, "I don't think ye're completely trustworthy, see."

This time, she laughed sarcastically, "Is that so? That's why you've been coming here every night since we left the port?"

"Aye, lass."

"I don't believe it! You've been spying on me ever since the plan began, haven't you?" seeing he didn't answer, she carried on, "Makes me wonder then, how come you're forcing _me_ to help you with this debt?"

"I couldn't very well do this on my own now, could I missy?"

She didn't answer, "All right, but I'm warning you, I don't know how much I can carry on like this. Your plan is so…so complicated! Honestly Davy," she said, calling him directly with his first name, "Why bother so much? He's really just-"

But she stopped in mid-sentence when she looked up and saw his darkened and dangerous look. "Jack Sparrrow," he said slowly, "Has a debt to pay. And I'm not going to give up until it is settled. Understand?"

"Yes, Davy," she answered, lowering her head in a defeated way.

"Beg your pardon?" he hissed in a dangerous tone.

She let out a small sight, "Yes, _Captain_."


	7. Chapter 7 : Captain's Orders

A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, keep them coming and let me know if you want longer chapters okay:)

XOXO

Kayla

He was always like this: even though at first he would allow her to act boldly with him, he would soon have enough of it and start demanding her respect. She'd figured it wasn't much of a surprise for someone without a heart.

"Now, I want ye to listen closely," he instructed, "I'll go over this one more time, just so ye're sure ye know every detail. In two days, you'll announce they'll need to change course one last time, heading West for six days. On the ninth, you'll arrive at Dead Man's cove, where-"

"Where," Kayla continued for him, "I'll bring Jack, promising to take him to the treasure and making sure the rest of the crew stays behind. Then, once inside, he'll see there _is_ no treasure, and by then, you'll…you'll…" she couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence.

"I will kill him." He said darkly, sounding deadly and dangerous.

Kayla was silent for a moment, before nodding her head.

"Everything clear then?"

She nodded again.

"Right. I'll be checking ye, don't worry. I'll come back before the nine days are over. I don't want ye to mess anything up. If ye do, our deal's off, so I suggest ye just stick to the plan, understood? That's all."

"Wait!" she called out, but he didn't listen.

Without another word, before Kayla could say anything, he leaped into the air and straight into the water, disappearing from sight. Kayla leaned over the rail and watched the black water move smoothly underneath the ship, then sigh before turning around.

"Aye, Captain," she muttered mockingly before heading towards her cabin, where she glumly sat on her bed, wondering once again how she'd ended up in this situation, why she felt so empty, and most of all, with what courage she was going to finish the plan. She then forced herself to stop thinking about those problems, reminding herself about the situation she was in, and then slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Kayla woke up feeling dizzy, and she figured it was because of the ship's cradling, which, she noticed, had grown much stronger than the day before. Indeed, as soon as she resurfaced on deck, she saw it was a cloudy day, and a terrible gale was blowing.

Everybody was busy taking care of the ship, so that nobody seemed to notice or care as she steadily made her was towards the upper deck, stumbling left and right as she advanced. At last, she reached the stairs, and grabbing hold of the rail she climbed them to the top, where just as she had expected she found Jack, in control of the ship, swaying along with it's movements.

"Rough sea today!" she exclaimed, making him startle slightly before looking up and grinning.

"Well, good morning to you, luv," he said, both of them staggering to keep their balance, "Looks like we'll be swaying just a little today!"

No sooner had he said that, that a light drizzle began to fall down from the sky, "Ah, no need to worry," said Jack, looking up at the sky, "Just a little drizzle. Little rain never hurt nobody!"

Just as thought the weather itself had heard him and wanted to fool him, within an hour the wind had risen increasingly, and the _Pearl_ found itself right in the middle of a terrible storm. Everybody was busy working, and even Kayla helped out, although Jack had tried to stop her at first, saying it could've been too dangerous for her.

"Look," she'd exclaimed, looking upset, "I'm a big tough girl, Jack. I think I can handle a little rough sea!"

"**Captain **Jack, it's…" he'd tried to say, but she merely interrupted him.

"Yes, very well, we know that, Captain!" she'd snapped sarcastically, "Now, are you going to tell me what to do, or must I really discover it all by myself?"

For the second time, she'd silenced Jack, who had therefore decided to give her something to do rather than continue being silenced in front of the rest of the crew. Naturally, right then neither of them had quite imagined what they were up to: by now, the storm was surrounding them, and there was no way of getting out. Soon the chaos broke out amongst the ship, while everybody continuously got pushed back and forth, left and right, by the massive force of the waves that crashed against the side of the _Pearl_. Kayla found herlsef troubling to keep her balance, and simply ignored Jack's repeated orders to retire inside the ship for her own safety.

For the entire afternoon, they carried on this way, until finally the storm died off and they returned to a much calmer sea. It was just after sunset, in fact, Kayla could see the sun diving into the sea amongst the grey clouds, and everybody was exhausted. Some had been sick, and Kayla had gone close to being it as well. Everybody let out a sigh of relief as they let themselves fall to the ground, too tiered to keep on standing, and lean against any solid surface they found closest.

After a few minutes of rest, Kayla, who was sitting with her back leaning against one of the masts, saw Jack come stomping towards her, and the initial smile she'd worn as a victory sign soon faded as she saw his frowning and – dreadfully – serious expression.

"Get up," he all but ordered as he came to a brusque halt in front of her.

She did so, feeling uneasy and frowning as well, "What's the matter, Jack?" she asked, confused.

"_What's the matter?_" he repeated, cleary angry, raising his voice, "The matter, Kayla, is that, first and foremost, **I** am the **Captain**, savvy?" she was about to correct herself, but he didn't give her the time, and carried on, "And if **I** tell you to go undercover, **you go undercover,** savvy?" he was now glaring at her, and she didn't know what to say: this reaction had been absolutely unexpected, and had caught poor Kayla completely off guard.

"But…" she tried to explain.

"No," he immediately stopped her, "No excuses, Kayla."

"But Jack, I…"

"**How many times do I have to tell you to adress me as "Captain"?**" he yelled, shocking her, "You have no excuses! You should have followed my orders, and that's it! You do **not** ignore my orders, Kayla! Savvy? I will not tollerate this another time!" he continued, making her nod her head and turn away, frowing with tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, _Captain_" she mumbled, enfasizing the last word with anger.

Then, she whispered, "Please excuse me," to the rest of the crew, shot one last andry look at Jack, shook her head with a disgusted expression on her face, and then turned away, rushing into her cabin and leaving an icy silence behind her.

Kayla simply lay down on her bed and cried, cursing Jack for being so utterly hateful with her, and meanwhile getting angry at herself for crying and telling herself to stop doing it immediately.

"Stop it!" she though angrily, "Stop crying, stupid! There is absolutely no reason to cry, because he is just a plan to accomplish and you have got nothing to do with him, you know perfectly well there is no reason to feel sad, angry, Hell, there's no reason to feel anything at all towards that…that…that…" instead of trying to find a word, she punched her pillow and then buried her head in it, unable to stop being so upset.

Dinnertime came and went, and Kayla simply stayed locked into her cabin, refusing to go eat with the crew. She almost couldn't suffer their cheerful voices coming from the dining room, as though it hurt her to know it seemed like they didn't even notice she wasn't there.

Still angry, she crept out of her room one hour after midnight and, seeing nobody was in sight, she hastily rushed to the place where she'd met Davy Jones the night before: sure enough, as she had suspected, it was only a matter of seconds before she saw a dark shadow rise from the sea and morph into Davy Jones himself, right besides Kayla.

"Well?" he demanded simply.

"Well, what is the big idea?!" she exclaimed, forcing herself to remain as calm as possible.

"Big…idea?" He repeated.

"That storm today! What was that all about?"

"Ye're not making sense."

"Of course I am! The sea nearly killed us! **You** are the sea, remember? So, what's your great idea, get us all drowned before I even _think_ about finishing the plan?"

He merely grinned, "I have nothing to do with this."

"Oh, sure you do! Admit it! You almost got me killed, you know? I would've liked to see you then!"

This time, he laughed, "Kayla, tell me, how could ye die in the sea if **I** am the sea, like ye said? It would be like murder," he added, "And ye know I wouldn't do that. I still need you to finish this job for me."

"All right, fine! Just try to avoid the gigantic waves next time, will you?" snarled Kayla, shivering at the though of all the swaying she'd done that day and turning her back on him to look out into the sea.

"What's the matter with ye anyways?" he demanded, but as she turned to answer him, he continued, "Captain Sparrow being to harsh on ye? Hurts to feel so humiliated, eh? And just when you were thinking about _trusting_ him…" he made the sentence die off.

"Oh, please, don't be ridiculous!" exclaimed Kayla, after a few moments of stunned silence, "That filthy good for nothing pirate, I can't wait to get over with this just so I can watch you kill him!"

Davy Jones smiled wickedly, "All right then, it looks like everything's going the way it's supposed to," he moved to the side of the ship, "Keep up the good work, Kayla."

And in a flash, he was gone.


	8. Chapter 8 : Asking Forgiveness

**A/N: Here's a bit more…so glad you guys enjoy my writing, thank you for the reviews, keep on sending them! ;) Oh, and BTW, LydiaSparrow, I think that's a great idea for a nickname! Let me know if you change it! It's really cool IMO:)  
XOXO  
Kayla**

Kayla snorted and went back to her cabin, where she lay wide awake, her thoughts racing fast through her mind as she gazed at the cieling.

Meanwhile, she didn't know there was another person wide awake: in his own private quarters, Jack, too, was lying on his bed, staring at the cieling and feeling like a complete idiot. For the whole day the crew had continuously shot him worried looks, either as though they though he would start yelling again at any moment against them, or as though they thought he had just spoiled their chance of ever getting to the treasure.

"Ah, no worries," he told himself, "The lass got what she deserved, that's all. You know it, Jack. Stop worrying. She's a woman, what did you expect? Her to punch you right on the face? Well, of course, maybe you would've deserved that…I'm not so sure I would've deserved that….well, actually, come to think of it, aye, I would've…but still, she's a woman, crying is what they do when they don't know how to face a situation. They just…cry and run off somewhere. Leave her alone, she'll come back to you as though nothing's happened…or will she? What if she doesn't?" this last thought brought him to sit up on the bed, "What if she stays locked up in that damned cabin and refuses to come out or tell you where to go?" he gasped, "I can't let that happen! I can't! I need her! I mean," _did I just say that?_ He thought, "I need that _treasure_! But I can't have it without her cooperation! I need to do something!"

He thought about it for a couple of moments, before making up his mind, "That's it, I'm going to see what the bonnie lass is up to! Better get her to forgive me and be sure she'll continue revealing the correct route! Yes, that's a brilliant idea," he said, getting up, fetching his hat and coat, and leaving the room.

Once outside though, he started hesitating: Kayla's room was just a few paces away from his own, after all. He stood still for a moment.

"Maybe she's asleep," he tried to say, but the lights coming from inside immediately prooved him wrong.

Gathering up more courage than he though he'd need, he marched determingly towards her door and raised his fist, ready to knock violently but thinking better when he reminded himself he was there to be forgiven…and knocking down someone's door didn't exactly seem like a good start, to be honest. Therefore, he gave the wooden door three delicate taps, and waited.

"Who is this?" came Kayla's voice a second later.

"It's…it's me, Kayla," he said, starting to feel uneasy, "Jack."

"Oh, is it you then, _Captain_?" she asked, enfasizing the last word like she'd done that afternoon.

Jack rolled his head around, not sure of what to answer, "Aye, luv, it's me."

"What do you want?" she demanded dryily.

"I…ah….well…you see…I…" Jack mumbled.

Mumble? Jack was mumbling? He never mumbled! He had never mumbled in his life, not in front of death threatening situations, and he was mumbling becasue he had to ask a girl to forgive him?

He cleared his throat, "I've come here to see how you were doing," he managed to say.

"I'm doing absolutely fine, Captain."

"Ah, well, good, then," he said, "I also wanted to say that…."

"Yes?"

"Well, that….I…about today, Kayla….I…."

He heard movements coming from inside the cabin, and knew Kayla had probably gotten up from her bed to move behind the door and listen better.

"I'm sorry, Kayla."

There was a moment of silence, before Kayla answered, "Jack Sparrow, you truly, absolutely, and completely…"

Jack was already smiling and complimenting himself for his victory, when she added, "…DISGUST ME!"

He shook his head, shocked, "I…I beg your pardon?"

"No, don't beg. You don't care about me. You don't care about saying you're sorry. You're not sorry. You just want me to calm down so that I can keep on guiding you to your stupid treasure!"

"I…Kayla, no, listen, I…."

"Stop lying to me, Jack, just stop it. I might be mad at you but don't worry, I'll keep on telling you where you stupid treasure is! No need to pretend you care for me ! Now, if you'll excuse me, goodnight, _Captain_!"

"No, wait, Kayla, I…" but before he could say anything, he saw the lights going out, and knew she wouldn't have listened to another word he'd said. So, he turned around, lowering his head in defeat and walking away slowly, back towards his cabin. He sigh, and wondered why she'd made him feel so bad.

What he didn't see, though, was Kayla, who had silently opened her cabin door and was currently peeking outside: all of her anger, or at least a good part of it, got washed away by the sorrow she felt suddenly seeing Jack's lonesome figure gloom in the distance, looking heavy-hearted and miserable.

"So maybe he _was_ sorry?" she asked herself, before closing the door and going back to her bed, surprised to see that she too, now, was miserable, and hating the fact that, all of the sudden, she felt small and terribly alone.


	9. Chapter 9 : Losing Her Grip

**A/N : Hey guys, I'm back with more!! As always thanks for the reviews!! I'm glad most of you are liking this story so far…**

**Oh, just one thing, for Ninjamouse…I'm sorry you think Jack is off character, I actually posted this story already in a Johnny Depp forum and everyone there used to say he was actually pretty much in character, so I was sort of caught off guard by your comment…but thank you anyways for pointing it out, I hope you'll find him to be more in character as the story unfolds…**

**Jessa, you asked what does Kayla look like, right? Interesting thing, I actually never put an actual description of her in this story, except for some random details set here and there (ex.reference to the colour of her eyes or such), I did this because I didn't really want to decide a "look" for her…I prefer to let my readers imagine how she is in their head! ;) **

**As for everyone else, keep on reading and most of all, reviewing! Love to all!**

**Kayla**

The sky was still partly cloudy, but at least the wind had died down and the sea was definately calmer than the day before. Jack was straying along the deck, occasionaly checking the crew, but mostly gazing out at the open sea, still feeling miserable from last night's event. Kayla still hadn't emerged from her cabin, but he dared not go knocking on her door again.

He was trying as hard as he could to ignore the little voice in his head that kept reminding him of Kayla, though it was considerably difficult. He wondered why he should care as much about her, after all, she _did_ say she would keep on leading them towards that wonderful treasure, so honestly, why bother about _her_ being angry at _him_?

In her cabin, Kayla paced around steadily, thinking. She didn't want to spend another day locked up inside, but how could she face Jack after she'd told him all those things just the other night? She hadn't really meant to say them, although, she kept reminding herself, there was no need to feel bothered or – even worse – _sorry_ that she had. He'd deserved it, and she knew she was right, but still, a voice in her head kept nagging her to go outside and let Jack know she was sorry.

"Sorry? Sorry?" she asked herself out loud, "What are you, insane? Kayla, wake up, girl, he doesn't care if you're angry at him or not, he only cares that you lead him to his so deeply desired treasure, so he can _finally_ be happy," she snorted, "Men. They're just all the same! All of them! He yells at me in front of the entire crew, and then what does he do? He comes over to say sorry, and I…I…" she stopped, "I did just the same. I treated him just as badly…"

She suddenly felt very guilty, and gave in to the need to go excuse herself.

"I'll have the excuse of the route change," she thought to herself, thinking she would simply go outside, meet Jack, tell him they were to change course, and then _vaguely_ mention she was sorry, and wasn't mad at him anymore…or was she?

As she stepped outside, she noticed that not many other people were there: most of them were relaxing, as the calm sea didn't require much assitance, and a bunch of them were slouched across the ship, dozing off to sleep or doing something on their own.

"Looks like Davy calmed things down after all," she thought to herself.

The clouds had parted slightly, and the sun, which was still quite low, since it was early morning, was giving off a soft light. They were sailing smoothly, and just a bit of wind was blowing. Kayla looked around for a couple of moments, then headed directly towards Jack's position, on the upper deck. She took her time to climb up the steps that would lead her to him, and noticed how they seemed to go on forever. Finally though, she reached the deck, but surprisingly, Jack wasn't there: the deck was deserted. Kayla looked left and right, but saw nobody, so she began to walk towards the rudder, curiously.

Stopping in front of it, she observed it closely, before allowing her hands to reach out and take hold of it. She didn't dare move it, for she didn't know how, but it felt good, as though she knew she was in charge of the ship while holding that rudder.

"Oi!" came a voice from the stairs, making her startle.

Her gaze shot up: it was Jack ! He was standing on the last step, staring at her with a mixture of surprise and offence. Kayla hastily let go of the rudder and backed away.

"Oh," she said, "I'm sorry, Captain, I-"

"What were you doing?" he merely asked.

"Well, I was just…looking for you, actually."

"For me?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow, "You're telling me you can bear to see me? You don't feel too disgusted?"

She sigh, knowing he was acting that way because of the previous night, and surprisingly, she once again felt the need to let him now that she was sorry…and she really was, "Look, Ja-Captain, listen. I'm sorry. I honestly am. It wasn't right to yell at you that way. I was terrible, I-" she lost her words.

Jack suddenly saw she wasn't lieing, it was there to see: her eyes, until she lowered her head a couple of seconds after, prooved it. He took a deep breath and walked over to her, raising her head with his hand and looking down at her in the eyes, "Luv, we were both terrible," he said, serious, "And I just want to let you know that I- well, I'm really sorry, too. I wasn't lying to you."

"Jack, there's another thing I need to tell you," she said right after.

"What is it, darling?" he asked, getting closer to her face.

"We..we need to change route," she said, forcing herself to pull back and taking a few embarassed steps towards the rail, "We must head West for six days. That's the last part of our voyage."

She felt a strange pang of guilt when she saw his face lighten up, "We're already that close to the treasure?"

"Yes," she answered, smiling at his enthusiasm, "Just six days away."

"Damn, we need to turn the _Pearl_ around then!" he exclaimed, rushing over to the rudder. Before gripping it, though, he stopped, and stood still for a moment, thinking. Then, he cleared his throat and, quite unexpectedly, turned to Kayla and stretched his arm towards her.

"What?" she asked, not understanding.

"Would you like to-er-try?" he asked, gesturing towards the rudder.

"Oh, you mean…?" asked Kayla, surprised by his question, walking besides him, "You…want me to turn the _Pearl_ around?"

"Aye, if you want, that is…"

"But I thought only the Captain.."

"Well, seeing I'm the Captain, I have the right to decide, savvy?" he asked, grinning and winking at her.

"But I don't know how," she said after a moment, now standing in front of the rudder.

"Ah, not a problem love," said Jack, "Here, let me help you."

And without further explanations, he set himself closely behind Kayla, who had gripped the rudder, and placed his hands upon her own. Kayla immediately noticed how warm his hands were compared to hers, and began to breathe slowly, trying to keep her cool and ignoring the fact that Jack was so close to her and was holding – although in an akward way – her hands in his.

Silently, they started directing the ship, Kayla following Jack's movements as he moved the rudder right and left, adjusting it to make the _Pearl_ turn. It was a strange and yet extremely pleasant moment for both of them, being so close to one another and breathing in each other's scent: Jack noticed Kayla's was a fragrance he had never smelled before, and Kayla from her part took in Jack's scent of seafoam, rum and another scent she couldn't quite place.

For a while, they did nothing but command the ship, then, at one point, when Jack had begun to guide Kayla less to see if she'd gotten used to it, she moved left instead of right, and he corrected her quickly.

"Oops, sorry," she said, giggling at her own akwardness.

"Ah, no problem, luv, you're a terrific Captain," answered Jack, also grinning.

She turned her head behind her to face him, and they found themselves standing very close to each other. Kayla's heartbeat quickened, and their eyes locked. Then, she saw Jack lean in, getting closer, too close, and she knew exactly what was going to-

"Jack!" someone called out, breaking their spell.

Both turned and saw Gibbs standing on the stairway, clearly embarassed to have interrupted the moment. He asked Jack to follow him, and the two broke up, Kayla suddenly feeling much colder and somehow vulnerable. She'd felt so safe with Jack standing besides her, and-

"Oh, get a **grip**, girl!" she ordered herself through gritted teeth.

The rest of the day went by quite normally, except for the fact the Jack now smiled every time his gaze met Kayla's, either making her stomach or her heart leap. Soon, night came, and everybody gathered around the dinner table, glad to have something to eat. As usual, everybody dug in without many compliments, and everything went smoothly, except for a moment where both Jack and Kayla reached out for the same piece of bread, their hands touching. Kayla hastily retrieved hers, smiling embarassedly, while Jack looked at her, grinning sweetly before taking the piece of bread and handing it to her. Again, while she took it, their hands touched, and his smile widened, making her blush.

When dinner was over, Kayla waited for the deck to be clear, except for a pirate who was in charge of commanding the ship while Jack rested, before heading to the usual spot and waiting for Davy Jones to appear: and soon enough, there he was.

"Well, well, well," he said immediately, "Looks like our little lady is having a jolly good time, eh?"

Kayla frowned, "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Oh, I know everything, Kayla. I saw ye two this morning. Wouldn't 'ave been surprised te see li'l hearts poppin' up 'round you."

Kayla opened her mouth to reply, and shook her head, "I…oh, honestly, do you think…?"

"Ye were allowing him to touch ye."

"I was not-"

"He was embracing ye."

"He didn't-"

"He was embracing ye, and I'll tell ye more… _ye were enjoying it._"

Kayla couldn't believe her ears, "I was absolutely NOT enjoying it! He was just showing me how to steer the ship!"

"As ye like it, Kayla," he replied dryily, "But I'm warning ye."

He moved closer to her and pointed his hand towards her, "I will not tolerate any type of distractions that might interfere with the plan, understood?"

"I-" Kayla began, but seeing that he was in no mood of listening to explanations, she merely sigh, "Of course, Captain," she said, giving up.

And as always, without another word, he glided away, leaving Kayla bothered and confused, without being able to fall asleep for a long, long time as her thoughts and, most of all, many doubts, crowded in her head.


	10. Chapter 10 : Bad Memories Resurface

**A/N: LOVE THE REVIEWS GUYS!! Thank you:)  
Kayla**

Morning came, and Kayla woke up feeling confused and drowsy: it was as if she'd never slept. Then, she realized it was simply because the ship was swaying dangerously back and forth, and her stomach had begun to suffer from the movement. She frowned as she got up and saw that they were moving so much she was having a hard time keeping her balance. She gripped onto the bedpost to keep herself from falling over when a particularly nasty wave smashed itself on the side of the ship.

"What the hell is going on here?" she asked out loud, her head beginnning to spin.

She made her way, slowly, towards the door, and flung it open: no sooner had she done that, that a horrible, slashing gale almost flung her off her feet, as rain began to splatter inside the room. Kayla opposed her body to the icy wind and managed eventually to get outside and lock the door.

She knew this was no time to linger: apparently, they were in the middle of what looked like the worst storm the _Pearl_ had ever seen, much worse than the one they'd had to face just a few days before. Kayla couldn't help but wonder if perhaps this was Davy Jone's way of warning her to stick to the plan and have no distractions.

Water was now pouring on her all around: sea water, mixed with rain, splashed on her body, and she was fighting to keep her visual clear. Ducking from the wind as best as she could, she stumbled across the deck, amongst the other pirates, all soaking wet and running back and forward, desperately trying to control the ship. The situation didn't look too good.

Suddenly, as she surfaced on the upper deck, Kayla gasped in shock: nobody was controlling the rudder! Without stopping to think, she sprinted forward at top speed and grabbed hold of it, surprised at how difficult it was to keep control: the force of the water was making it spin out of control, and Kayla had to use all her efforts to bring the ship back under control.

Just as she was about to give in, what with the water continuously pouring from all directions, the wind swishing her hair all around, and the gigantic waves that looked ready to make the ship sink, she heard running footsteps, and suddenly felt a pair of strong arms around her own, grasping the rudder tightly. She opened her eyes and looked behind her: it was Jack!

"CAPTAIN!" she yelled, her voice barely rising above the wind, "WHERE WERE YOU?"

"TRYING TO AVOID HAVING GIBBS FALL IN THE WATER!" he bellowed back, as Kayla stepped away leaving him total control of the rudder.

"WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?" she asked him.

"GO BACK INSIDE!" he answered immediately.

Kayla frowned, "NO!"

"KAYLA!" he said in a warning tone, looking at her, "I DO NOT WANT TO REPEAT MYSELF, IS THAT CLEAR? I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO INTENTION OF DRAGGING YOU BACK ON- WATCH OUT!" he flung himself forwards, crashing into Kayla and sending both of them hurtling across the deck, as one of the smaller masts came tumbling down right where Kayla had been standing not two seconds before.

Jack hit the deck and rolled over a couple of times, getting straight back up on his feet, and looking to see where Kayla had gone: he saw her, just as she slipped over the rail, plunging straight into the deadly ocean.

She screamed as she hit the water, resurfacing after a quick struggle, only to find herself back underwater, being pulled by the waves. She felt salted water fill up her lungs as she yelled.

"This is it," she thought, "I'm going to die!"

"KAYLA! KAYLA!"

Even across the storm, she could hear Jack calling out her name from the ship, which was rapidly moving away from her. She hurtled through the waves, wondering just how much she would survive and how long it would take her to drown.

Then, when she was back underwater, she was almost certain she saw a pair of yellow catlike eyes staring at her disapprovingly, before feeling a supernatural force push her upwards, straight out of the water: apparently, a wave was carrying her, and it was bringing her straight back to the _Pearl._ Sure enough, as the water began to wrap around itself, Kayla stumbled through it, before hitting something with her back. Opening her eyes, she felt the deck under her, and knew she was back on the ship.

Nonetheless, she couldn't move: the mere shock she'd had made it impossible for her to think about anything else rather than fear, so when she felt somebody pick her up in his arms she didn't object, and somehow she found herself being brought into a cabin and set on a warm, dry bed, where she began to hyperventilate.

"Shht, shhht darling," she heard Jack's cooing voice, sounding far off, "Everything's all right. Rest. Don't worry, you're all right. Calm down now, sleep. Sleep, luv."

And so, she fell asleep, allowing herself to drift off in her dreams, where she dreamt about Jack. At one point, she wasn't entirely able to tell reality apart from the dreams: she kept on seeing him standing besides her, besides the bed, holding her hand, occasionally brushing her cheek with his hand. She felt all of this, and then felt black.

_Water was flooding in from everywhere. The ship was being pushed left and right, right and left, by the violent waves, that crashed amongst the troubled crew. Kayla ran across the deck, scared, looking for somebody, She spotted the person she was looking for, as he was trying to tie a rope around the main mast to keep one of the sails from breaking free._

"_ERIC!" she called out above the howling wind, "ERIC!"_

_He finally heard her and turned around, but no sooner had their eyes met that Kayla saw it before it even hit: a huge wave crashed down upon him and swallowed him up. When the water faded away, he was gone, claimed by the sea. As Kayla stared in horror, she heard a great, evil laughter coming from nowhere, and exploding in unison with lighting. _

"_NO!" she yelled, desperately, "NO! NO! NO!"_

Kayla awoke with a start, pulling herself up on the bed, and found herself in Jack's arms, as she breathed heavily, shaking. He just held her, and she didn't pull back.

"Nightmare," he whispered as he delicately stroke her back, "It was only a nightmare, luv."

Kayla wasn't able to control herself and burst into tears, slowly wrapping her arms around Jack and burying her face in his chest.

Jack let her calm down, and the only sound that could be heard was Kayla's suffocated sobs. Jack rested his chin on her head and just rocked her slowly back and forth.

Kayla's head was screaming at her, ordering her to let go of Jack and recompose herself, reminding her that she had to accomplish a plan – kill him – but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it.

Finally, she stopped crying and broke apart from Jack, who was wondering what Kayla had dreamt to make her feel so upset, but decided not to ask unless she decided to tell him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, brushing away tears.

"Don't be, luv," he answered, smiling kindly, "Anybody can have a bad dream."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Just a couple of hours," he said, "Just enough for the storm to be over. Perfect timing you've got," he winked.

Kayla smiled weakly, "I guess so," she said.

Suddenly, she noticed that there his left hand was tied up in a white cloth.

"What happened to you?" she asked, though she understood immediately,without his answer: he'd hurt himself falling on the deck.

He'd hurt himself…trying to save her.

Kayla felt terribly sorry and guilty.

"Oh, Jack," she said, running a hand on his own injured one.

"Don't worry, luv," he said, "It's just a scratch, really…"

They were silent for a moment before Jack asked:

"Do you think you can stand?"

"I suppose," she answered, slowly shifting her legs over the side of the bed. Jack was standing in front of her, offering both hands for support. Kayla stodd up and stumbled, but Jack catched her promptly.

"Slowly, luv," he said, "You've got weak ankles, remember?"

She looked at him and couldn't help but smile. Jack smiled back and helped her on her own feet. Then the two of them left the cabin and reappeared outside, where they were soon joined by Gibbs.

"Capt'n," he said, bowing his head slightly, "Everything under control?"

"Everything under control, Mister Gibbs," Jack repeated, "Carry on with…well, with whatever it is that you were doing."

As everybody followed his orders, Jack and Kayla began to look around, and noticed they were entering a rather peculiar landscape.

"Looks like things are about to change," murmured Jack, moving his head around.

Kayla did the same: they were beginning to be surrounded by big rocks, that stood grouped together, forming what seemed like a narrow passage. The sea was steadily becoming darker, turning into a shade of deep blue, like Kayla had never seen before.

She and Jack were leaning on the rail, looking down at the sea, that almost looked like a velvet carpet: they couldn't see the seafloor anymore. The smell of seaweed hung in the air. Suddenly, they were covered by a shadow, and both raised their heads. They hadn't noticed that the rocks had slowly begun to grow larger and taller, and that as they sailed onward, some of the other pirates had begun looking around as well, and with good reason: they had now entered what looked like a narrow passage, formed by towering rock walls, that left just enough space for the _Pearl_ to pass.Nobody knew quite well whether to be amazed or scared, the walls were gigantic, and somehow the ship had slowly grown quiet. Jack, still gazing at one of the huge pile of boulders, slowly backed away from the side of the ship.

"Men," he almost whispered, "Two words: shut up."Indeed, he had eyed some precariously attached stones, and was sure that they would certainly fall down on them if anybody dared make a sound.

"What in the name of Hell is this place?" Mr. Gibbs dared to ask a few moments later.

"Gibbs!" Jack hissed in a warning tone, but Kayla answered for him: "Silent Valley."Both Jack and Gibbs turned to her with questioning looks."This is Silent Valley. It's the only way to get to – " she stopped for a second, forming the words in her head, in order to lie convincingly, " – get to the Treasure."

Jack nodded to show he'd understood, and they sailed on silently for about a half hour, before – to their great relief – they saw that the walls began to slip back towards the sea, and soon enought they were once again randomly scattered boulders, and they were able to see the sea around them once more. The landscape had changed, though: before they'd entered Silent Valley, the sun had been shining, and the air was clear around them, not to mention the water had been a wonderful turquoise colour. Now, however, the sky had become an eerie black, a thick fog was surrounding them, and the water was considerably darker than it had been before. Here and there, there were great jagged black rocks.

"We've entered," said Kayla solemnly.


	11. Chapter 11 : The Right Choice

**A/N: More from the story!! Thanks for the reviews!**

**XOXOX**

**Kayla**

Everybody looked at her, waiting for her to carry on.

"This," she said, "Is the last part of our journey, lads. To reach the treasure, we must pass through five different landscapes. Each of them represents an element, or rather, it's darkest, most dangerous side. Silent Valley represents air, as you've seen: it would've taken a mere sudden rumor to make it crash down; the rocks there look solid but are really extremely fragile. Then, there's the Land of the Depths, which is where we are now: it represents water. There is no sea life for what is known, in fact the water is so deep that, it is said, there is no seafloor at all. Sounds aren't dangerous here, the threats come from those rocks: hit one, and the ship will sink immediately to the depths. Now, in two days, we will enter the next land, the Passage of Fire. It's full of volcanoes, and the danger comes from them; the ship can burn down quite easily because of their fire outbursts. But that passage will be quick; in that same day, we will pass though the earth landscape, the Swamp of the Dead. It's a huge swamp that stretches on through a thick forest. You must under any circumstance touch the water when we are there, nor the plants: they are deadly, and poisonous. Then, after a day, we will enter the last of the landscapes. Shadowland."

She stopped when she said the name. By now, the entire crew, including Jack, was frozen on spot, anxiously, waiting for her to continue."Shadowland," she finally said, "Does not represent an element. As all of you know, Davy Jones is the keeper of many sailors' souls," she stopped to look at Jack, who had unvolontarily flinched, "Most of them," she continued, eyeing him, "Belonging to sailors who have traded them and agreed to become part of Jone's crew, instead of dieing a sea. Well, Shadowland is where all the souls go. So, if you ever need to find a soul, that's the one place where you'll find it. It isn't quite a landscape, there is no water, nor earth, nor fire, nor air; it is simply a black, empty space between us and the Lost Treasure. The treasure, right after the Shadowland, is kept," she paused, "In Davy Jone's layer." Some of the pirates gasped, some simply stared, "I have warned you," she finished, "This is what we must face if we want the treasure."

They were all silent for a moment, the fog swirling around them. Jack seemed lost deep in his thoughts, and everybody began to wait for his decision, which would determine what they would be doing.

Finally, Jack spoke.

"If Kayla has told the truth," he started, "Which she surely has, well mates, this is not going to be easy. Not at all. The _Pearl_ has been through many dangers, aye, but this souds like a real challenge – even for her." He paused, thinking over what he had just said, and thinking about the treasure waiting for him, "On the other hand," he continued, beginning to slowly walk across the deck amongst the crew, "We're talking about a treasure, mates. And not just any old treasure, for that. We're talking _the Lost Treasure_. An honest pirate's most desired ambition is that of finding such treasure." There came a confused murmur of approval from the crew. Kayla said nothing. "All in all, indeed, we may be facing certain death..or at least have a very good chance of facing it, but," he raised a finger to emphasize his point, "If we DO happen to succeed…" he sigh, letting the sentence trail off. He turned his back to the crew, facing the threatening landscape in front of him, took a few steps, and then stopped. All of a sudden, he felt a very strong desire of winning the challenge Kayla had just presented him. Then, as though he'd finally made up his mind, he spun around, and proudly announced, "Gentlemen, onward. We have a treasure to catch!"

The crew cheered, but, Jack noticed, Kayla didn't say anything, in fact, she almost looked sad, or, worse, disappointed by his decision. So, as everybody else scrambled to their places, he walked up to her swiftly.

"Something wrong, luv?" he asked casually.

"No, Jack," she answered, her gaze lost in front of her, "You've made the right choice."

But Jack couldn't understand why, when she said those words, she looked at him with a now clear sign of sadness in her eyes.

And so, following Jack's orders, the crew began the last part of their quest for the treasure. At least one person was continuously in the crow's nest, checking the horizon ready to point out any eventual danger. The day's journey went by smoothly, and Kayla remained silent for most of the time, apparently lost in her own thoughts.

They all gathered for dinner, though everybody was too tense to actually enjoy the meal: it was as if everybody was just waiting for some disaster to crash down on them. What was more, some of the pirates had begun to occasionally stare at Kayla in a semi frightened way, as if they weren't sure whether she could be trusted or not. Kayla, who assumed this was due, apart from the fact that pirates thought having a woman aboard like her brought bad luck, also because she had just revealed what dangers they would have to face in order to get to the treasure, found that this attitude made her feel uneasy.

They spent the next day pretty much in the same way, almost without talking, concentrated on the route. Jack and Kayla exchanged a few glances, but didn't have time to speak, for Jack, as Captain, was continuously requested from the rest of the crew. The second day ended, and, as she stood at the dinner table, Kayla began to wonder why Davy Jones hadn't yet come to look for her.She played absentmindedly with the key around her neck as she layed in bed later on that same night. Then, just as soon as she was finally about to drift off to sleep, she heard an unexpected knock. Silently cursing whoever was knocking at her door at that time, she got on her feet and stomped her way to the door, lurching it open. She felt her heart leap unvolontarily when she found herself in front of Jack.


	12. Chapter 12 : Ash and Smoke

**A/N: Hehe, I presume you're all happy I'm about to post a new update, eh? ;) thanks for the comments everyone, I honestly love to receive them…. Please also feel free to critisize my writing if you don't like something! I'd be glad to receive critical opinions from other writers!**

**Oh, and for Mysterious Victoria, yes, I do like to build up some good ol' suspence…is it working? ;)**

**Lydia, don't worry, Jack's not dead !! How could I possibly kill such a beautiful lad? ;)**

**Crownedblackhearts, wanna know what happens next? Well, only one way to find out, ain't there?? Read on, mate:) **

**Till the next update,**

**Yours truly**

**XOXOX**

**Kayla**

"Jack!" she exclaimed, completely forgetting to adress him as _Captain_. He, however – and to her great surprise as well – didn't seem to mind. "What's the matter?" she asked, stepping aside as he entered the room and closing the door behind him, "Is something wrong?" she thought something must have been, if he'd come to look for her, and wondered what had gone wrong now.

This was the first time they were talking since they'd entered the Land of the Depths, and what was more, they were alone. He thought about the answer for a moment, pacing through the cabin.

"Actually, yes, Kayla," he finally answered.

"Well?" she asked expectantly.

"I want to know," he began, "What's wrong, luv," he turned around, looking at her as his expression changed, from the stern, respectable one he used as Captain to a much more human and surprisingly worried one.

"What?" Kayla said in disbelief. He had come to her… _because he was worried for her? **Jack Sparrow** was **worried **for her? _

In fact, it had taken Jack quite a while to finally work up the courage necessary to go to her. Yes, he was perfectly aware of just how ridiculous he sounded: _courage_? This was beginning to get embarassing. And yet, he couldn't deny the need to go ask Kayla what was wrong, for, strange as it may have seemed, he found he was genuiely worried for her.

"I'm…look, Kayla, I-" he took a deep breath and then walked over to her, taking both of her hands in his and taking Kayla by surprise, "I'm worried. I'm worried about you, Kayla. You haven't eaten, let alone spoken, almost, for two days now. Something's wrong, I can feel it, and I want to know what it is, savvy?"

"Jack…" Kayla seemed on the verge of tears, just about to break apart. "_No,"_ she thought, "_No, I can't let this happen. What am I doing, anyway? Get yourself back together Kayla. You have a plan. It's time to stop this nonsense. You're already tricking him, don't make it worse by making him believe something that isn't true. Stick to the plan. Besides, he would only hurt you, remember. Stick to the plan. You don't need someone to hurt you. Stick to the plan. Remember your vow. STICK TO THE PLAN!"_

Suddenly, looking in her eyes, Jack saw that glimpse of true sadness be replaced by a forced indifference. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, stepping away from Jack and turning her back on him, "I'm just worried about getting you to the treasure as soon as possible."

"Right," he said, crestfallen, "Get to the treasure."

"Yes, because that's all that matters, right?"

"Aye, luv. Aye," Jack took a deep breath before turning around to leave, "Sorry I bothered you then, darling. Goodnight."

"Goodnight…" Kayla began, but he was already gone, "…Jack." She whispered to no one.

The next morning, Jack was woken up by the smell of something burning, and jolted out of his bed, grabbing his coat and quickly slipping into his boots before rushing outside. As he yanked his cabin door open, he froze on the spot.

They were amongst what could only be described as giants. Better, gigantic, ebony-black mountains, that rose abruptly from the water and shot up in the air. What frightened him, though, was the huge amount of lava, which was squirming it's way down the sides of these mountains, threatening to cover and burn whatever crossed it's path. The air smelled awful, and the water was now completely black. The _Pearl_ was gliding across the deadly landscape, and the crew, who had been standing still for the past days, had sprung back to life after an unearthly grumble that seemed to come from underneath the sea had vibrated suddenly though the air, and one of the volcanoes had begun to erupt.

"Back to your positions, you dogs!" Jack yelled, "I want the _Pearl_ out of here NOW! Move it, move it, MOVE IT! AND DON'T YOU DARE BURN MY SHIP!"


	13. Chapter 13 : A Toast to Kayla

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back with more…this time the chapter is shorter 'cuz this part is reallly important and I want to build up some more suspence (eheh) ! **

**Anyhows I'll be back with more soon **

**Love, **

**Kayla**

**p.s keep reviewing ;) **

Suddenly, it was as if they had woken up the giant: the air around them trembled from the eruption the water began to stir violently, and a downfall of boulders and lava began to drop all around them. Jack ran to the rudder, narrowly missing a boulder that landed in the middle of the ship (everybody began to rush around for water). Panic was beginning to surge amongst them, and it didn't help that the first violent eruption had woken up all of the other volcanoes as well, so that within seconds they all began to shoot lava and rocks in the air. The ship was being attacked by massive boulder: they crashed on the main deck, on the sides of the ship, and on the sails. What was more, the normal water the crew was using to try and set out the fire one of the rocks didn't seem to work.

"The water!" yelled Gibbs to no one in particular, hoping for a helping hand and a quick solution, "It won't end the fire!"

"Use the seawater!" came a voice.

Jack, like Gibbs, looked up to find Kayla, rushing forwards while grabbing a bucket, filling it with the black water from the sea, and splashing it on the burning rock, which sizzled as the fire went out.

"Use only the seawater," she ordered, handing the bucket over to Gibbs and then heading towards the rail, where she leaned over and scanned the horizon. "I can see the end of the passage already!" she yelled in Jack's direction, "Just keep going straight!"

Sure enough, the crew had to trouble only for another few minutes before they saw the landscape change again abruptly. The volcanoes disappeared, and a thick green swamp began to form around them instead. The _Pearl_ now had to push it's way through the narrow water passage they were in, surrounded by an exotic looking forest. The water had turned green, and some trees and branches brushed the sides of the ship as it passed by. The crew jolted back when this began to happen, remembering Kayla's warning.

"We need to be careful," she said, breaking the silence, "The dangers here may seem less evident, but trust me, they are absolutely not to consider less deadly. Remember: do _not_ touch the water, or the plants, or any other thing you may find. It's all deadly. As for the ship, we can relax now: there's a natural current that will push us ahead, so the _Pearl_ will keep this route by itself."

Glad they didn't have to worry about the ship crashing into strange rocks or being taken by lava, the pirates all went separate ways. After a while, Kayla, on her behalf, decided to climb on the crow's nest, and settled inside there, gazing at the swamp stretching out in front of them, and allowing herself to get lost in her own thoughts.

"What's the matter with me?" she asked herself, "Why am I feeling this way? What is it? Is it…" she looked down, where Jack was calmly walking across the deck and stopping to lean on the rail, careful not to let any random plant touch him, "No, girl. It can't be. Kayla, listen. You can't let this happen. You just…can't, ok? I know it seems like the wrong thing to do now, but bringing him to Davy is you only choice." she let out a deep sigh and slumped to the ground, before continuing, "I wonder how he feels. Obviously he doesn't feel anything – like I should – but then…why did he come check on me? Maybe…he actually cares? No, no, no, you silly, foolish girl…They're all the same. You've been hurt so much before, don't let it happen again. You've made your choice. There's no going back. In a few days, you'll get to the cove…and you'll get him killed." She raised her eyes, tears streaming down her face, "It's the only way to go, Kayla! It's…it's the only way." She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it was from Jack's yells.

"Oi!" he was yelling, "Up there! Kayla! Wake up, luv!"

Realising she'd fallen asleep, Kayla got back on her feet. It was now sunset, and she felt a slight shiver because of the cold. She peered over the edge of the nest where she found Jack, looking at her intently. He smiled when he saw her, which made her smile back.

"Climb down," he said, which she did, ending up in front of him.

"Goodness, I guess all the commotion must have caught up with me!"

"Don't you worry, luv, no harm done. Didn't miss a damn thing."

They stayed together, talking, until Gibbs showed up to inform them that dinner was ready. While they were eating, Jack suddenly did something quite unexpected: rising to his feet, he claimed everybody's attention, holding a glass of wine in his hand.

"Gents," he spoke loud and clear, "Allow me to propose a toast: three cheers for Kayla, for guiding us along the way to the thing we crave the most! The Lost Treasure!"

The crew exploded yelling, "Hip hip! Horray!", and Jack turned to a stunned Kayla, grinning lovingly, and offering her his hand; she took it and got up besides him, blushing and speechless. After dinner, the crew immediately went to bed. Kayla, who was expecting for Davy Jones to show up, paced the deck slowly, occasionally gazing up at the stars. When she got on the upped deck, she turned and sat down on the stairs, taking a deep breath and moving her gaze towards the sky above. She was distracted, and didn't hear a series of footsteps heading her way.


	14. Chapter 14 : Trouble

A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took a bit longer to update:( I hope this part will make it up to you Personally it's my favourite eheh...let me know what you think... XOXO Kayla 

She then felt someone sit down besides he, and looking up, her heart skipped a beat.

"Jack!" she said, gazing at the grinning pirate.

"'Evening, luv," he replied, settling down, "Am I bothering you?"

"No, not at all," she said, "I was just…looking at the stars."

"You know, luv," Jack began after a short pause, searching for the right words inside his head, "When I… that toast before…I really meant it. I need to thank you, Kayla."

"Oh no you don't, Jack," she said, noticing once again he didn't mind her calling him just Jack and not Captain, "After all, I merely showed you…"

"It's not because of the treasure, luv," said Jack softly but quickly, "Kayla…" he all but whispered, "Darling, I…I always used to feel so alone in this world, but…since I'm with you, I…I can't figure out what happened, it's just that I…I don't feel alone anymore. Savvy?" he added, smiling meekly.

"Oh, Jack," said Kayla, looking at him, before sighing and looking away, "Sometimes, it's just better to be alone. That way…nobody can hurt you."

Jack, who didn't understand what she meant, went closer to her. "Kayla," he said, confused, "What are you talking about? I would never, _ever,_ do anything to hurt you, savvy?"

"And I would never want to hurt you, Jack, so let's just…"

She wasn't able to finish the sentence, for as she looked up, her eyes locked with Jack's, and although she was trying to control her feelings, she felt her heartbeat grow faster as, slowly but surely, Jack leaned in to cover up the small space between them.

The kiss they shared as their lips touched made something explode inside Kayla, and finally, surely, she understood: it was **love**. It was love, all the love she'd so desperately tried to hide from herself and from the others, all the love she couldn't deny any longer, all the love she felt for Jack. Only now did she realise how much she'd longed for that kiss, for Jack's touch…for Jack.

On his behalf, Jack, who had been surprised of himself for feeling so much for this girl, kissed her like he had never kissed anybody else: true, he was quite the ladies' man, but whenever he kissed a woman, it had always been for mere lust, never, in his life, had he actually felt anything else. But now, this was completely different: he didn't know how or why, but Kayla had done something to him, something no other woman had ever been capable of, something that he knew he could no longer bear to ignore.

Both of them allowed themselves to get lost in that kiss, Kayla's hands around Jack's neck and Jack's arms wrapped lovingly around her body, making her feel safe and warm. She loved how his body felt so welcoming and warm, how his hands trailed slowly across her back. They shifted to be more comfortable, until he was leaning with his back on the stairs' rail and Kayla was next to him, safe in his embrace. They stayed like that for a while, kissing sweetly or holding each other, looking at the stars, neither of them willing to end the magical moment.

"I am in so much trouble," thought Kayla, as they shared yet another kiss, "Yes," she heard another voice say inside her head, "But you're also in love."

After a few hours, Kayla opened her eyes: she and Jack had fallen asleep!

Startled at first to find herself in his arms, she calmed down as the memory of their long desired kiss crept up inside her head, and couldn't help smiling. He had been so sweet with her, and she had loved every single moment they had spent together. She had wished to stay like that forever, and was considering whether to return in his embrace and drift back off to sleep or wake him up and go into one of their cabins, when she heard wood creaking and looked up, gasping in front of a threatening black figure.

She got to her feet and backed away: Davy Jones towered in front of her, with a look of pure loathing and sheer anger that she had never seen him wear before. His very eyes seemed on fire.

"Oh, I'm so sorry dear, did I interrupt something?" he asked mockingly.


	15. Chapter 15 : No More

**A/N: I'm guessing this is the update you've all had more trouble waiting for, eh? ;) Thank you for reviews, they really make my day!!**

**To our next update! **

**Looks like someone's in BIG trouble….let's see what happens now, shall we? **

**XOXO**

**Kayla**

Kayla, recomposing herself, straightened up and, trying to keep her voice calm, answered with another question, "Where have you been?"

"I, Kayla, have been watching you every day. Didn't trust ye, see? AND I WAS DAMN RIGHT NOT TO!" he stamped his fist on the rail, before pointing his finger towards her, "You have disobeyed my orders!" There was a moment's silence, then…

"I don't care," Kayla said, almost in a whisper.

"What?" he asked, completely taken aback by her answer, "What did you say, Kayla?"

"I said, _I don't_ _care_!" she repeated, shooting him a fired, determined look.

"I'm sorry darling, must have gotten some seaweed in my ear, I don't think I heard ye corrrectly…"

"Then READ MY LIPS!" she said, stomping up to face him, "_Forget it!"_ she hissed, before turning around to walk away.

Davy remained stunned for a few moments, before shaking his head and gliding magically up besides her, blocking her way, "And just what should _that _mean, precisely?"

"You know what it means," she answered without the slightest sign of fright, "Get yourself another girl! _I'm through!_"

There was a moment of silence, and just as Kayla began to fear his reaction, he sniggered, shaking his head, "Kayla, Kayla, Kayla," he said, "Love is such a nasty feeling, I thought you'd learned that! After all, it was love that got you into this jam in the first place, right?" Kayla's heart sank. She knew perfectly well what he was about to say, and dreaded it. "Ye offered me yer soul to save yer boyfriend's life when he fell off that ship into the ocean, and thought it was a fair exchange: your freedom for a lifetime of happiness with yer lover. But that wasn't what dear old Eric had in mind now, did he? How did that creep repay ye? By running off with some…_babe_. Too bad there was nothing ye could do to save _yerself_, eh?" He stopped, taking pleasure in seeing Kayla's eyes, reflected with hurt and tears, "Aye, he hurt ye real bad, didn't he, Kayla?"

Kayla, who didn't know what to say, just stood still, as memories flooded back to her, "And that wasn't the only time you-"

"All right, that's enough! STOP IT!" she exploded, as a tear fell on her face.

"Yes, Kayla. That's right. Ye see what ye're feeling? It's called a broken heart." he knew he had her where he wanted her, "Now, listen closely, because I won't be saying this again: _I own ye, Kayla_. Whatever I tell ye to do, ye do. And there is nothing ye can do about that. There is nothing strong enough to prevent you from accomplishing this plan…till the end. You were chosen, and that's final. We had an accord. The only way I will set your soul free will be after you will have brought me Jack Sparrow, and I have killed him. Understood?"

Kayla, after a moment's hesitance, shook her head, "No," she said, raising her head after a moment to face him, with tears streaming down her face, "NO!" she yelled suddenly, shocking Davy, "I DON'T CARE ABOUT OUR ACCORD! I DON'T CARE ABOUT MY FREEDOM! I AM NOT GOING TO LET YOU HURT HIM! I WILL NOT!" Kayla slowly continued backing away from him, all the time wondering why Jack wasn't hearing their yells and desperately begging for him to wake up. She suddenly pulled her sword out and lurched forward, pointing it towards Davy; the monster, however, merely raised his hand in a flash and took hold of the blade, bending it as if it were butter. Kayla tried to resist his force, but failed, and watched horrified as he pulled the sword away from her hands and launched it into the ocean. Shocked, Kayla began to look around, trying to find an escape, but stumbled and fell on her back, scrambling backwards until she hit the rudder. He walked slowly towards her, and suddenly grabbed Kayla's fist roughly, pulling her upwards and ignoring her cry of pain.

"Honestly," he said, disapprovingly, "It's remarkable what a simple feeling can do to people. Very well, then," he whispered dangerously, "If the treasure isn't enough to guide good ol' Jack to me, I guess I'll have to use another bait."

"What…" said Kayla, before his plan became clear to her, "No! NO! NO!" she screamed, turning around and desperately pulling towards Jack, invane, as Davy kept a firm grip on her, "JACK! JACK! HELP ME! JACK! JACK! WAKE UP! JACK! JA-" but her words were drowned in the water as Davy Jones plunged into the sea, dragging her along with him, down, towards the deepest, darkest depths.


	16. Chapter 16 : Unwanted Visitors

**A/N: Good GRIEF, I can't believe it, I'm baaack! Happy? ;) I am so sorry for keeping all of you waiting, but the site must have crashed or something because the PC wouldn't let me put up my updates!! I nearly cried now when I clicked on "upload" and the document ACTUALLY UPLOADED! XD lol anyway...I was so surprised to find so many reviews, thank you so much as always, I love them all! **

Crowned Black Hearts , yeah, I think Jack has quite a heavy sleep LOL

mysterious victoria, I read your story and I'm glad you keep on reading mine!

And PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood…. ROFL, your reply got me laughing out loud all by myself !! LOL! That was fanstastic!!! ….do tell dearie, where have Jack and Legolas gone to now? Please tell them I said hi, ok? I was flattered to recieve their compliments **blush! **oh, and please tell Jack to STOP DRINKING THAT DAMNED RUM OF HIS! ;) I hope they'll keep on reading my story like you're doing, let me know how they're doing ok? Thanks!

To all of you, this next update!!

Enjoy!

XOXO

Kayla

When Jack groggily opened his eyes, he was dazed to find himself alone: where had Kayla gone? He was pretty sure that they had fallen asleep together, and just a few hours before, for that matter…was it possible that she had woken up and gone to her cabin?

"Yes, that's probably it," he told himself, yawning and getting to his feet.

He headed towards her cabin, wearing a smile that minimally gave the idea of the peace and happiness he was feeling inside. He was surprised to find he just couldn't wait to find Kayla, take her in his arms, and kiss her once more.

"Aye, Jack, ol' rascal, the girl's got a grip on you." He commented, chuckling merrily.

Grinning, he reached her cabin door and knocked politely. After a few seconds, when nobody came to answer, he knocked again. "Kayla, babe? You in there?" he asked, leaning his ear against the door to listen if he heard any sounds. Still nothing.

He knocked a third time, this time turning the doorknob and slightly openening the door right after. Still seeing no response or reaction, he opened the door completely. The bed was untouched, and Kayla was nowhere to be seen. Jack began to turn his head left and right: nothing. She was not there. He began to feel cold sweat on his back, and his heart sank.

"Kayla?" he called out, "Kayla, where are you, luv? Kayla?"

His heartbeat began to quicken: where _was_ she? He stepped around the cabin, looking everywhere, and finally gave up to the evident truth: _she was gone!_ Desperately hoping she was still on deck and he simply hadn't seen her, he raced outside and began searching for her.

"Kayla!" he called out, his voice rising in panic, "Kayla, answer me! Where are you?" he began to feel overwhelmed by the panic, and began to yell, "KAYLA! KAYLA! KAYLA!" turning around, he saw Gibbs and ran to him, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around, "GIBBS! GIBBS! KAYLA! WHERE IS SHE, MATE? GIBBS!" he repeated, seeing his first mate seemed shocked by something, "LISTEN TO ME, GIBBS! KAYLA IS GONE, AND I CAN'T FIND HER! YOU NEED TO TELL ME-" but his voice caught in his throat when he realized what was shocking Gibbs.

Realizing only now that they had stopped navigating and that the entire crew was rooted on spot and turned towards the front of the ship, staring, Jack saw something that immediately made his blood chill in his veins: there, not too far from where they stood, the Earth landscape ended. However, unlike the other landscapes, which had gradually melded together, passing from one to the other, there was an abrupt, immediate interruption. And there, right after the last trees and the last part of the swamp, stood a gigantic, rotating and ebony black portal. The edges were smeared, and faded into some sort of white mist that half clung around the hole and half drifted off into the air.

Jack steppped forward to the very edge of the prow and gazed at the hole. What was creepier than enything else was the sheer silence that came from it: Jack could hear the wind whispering eeriely from the portal in front of him.

And he knew exactly where they had arrived. Everybody knew. That was Shadowland.

"I think we've reached something, Capt'n," said Gibbs matter-of-factly, daring to break the silence.

"Where's Kayla?" asked Jack, whipping around and ignoring his comment.

"Capt'n, what-?"

"WHERE IS KAYLA?" Jack repeated, raising his voice and losing his temper, "WHERE IS SHE?" he demanded, turning rapidly his head around to look at the pirates, "_WHERE IS KAYLA?_"

"Capt'n, we…we don't know," said Gibbs, also gazing around for support.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, _WE DON'T KNOW_?" Jack repeated, losing his cool completely, "SHE WAS WITH ME AND NOW SHE'S GONE! SHE CAN'T HAVE DISAPPEARED INTO THIN AIR! FIND HER IMMEDIATELY! SAVVY? I-"

His yells were interrupted by a wicked laughter that came from the side of the ship. Everybody spun around to see a group of terrible disfigured bodies climb upon the _Pearl_. They were three fish-like men, very much deformed like Davy Jones: one's head was shaped like a shark's, another's was enclosed into a shell, and the third's seemed to be made of rocks. All of their bodies were covered in a horrible mixture of seaweed, claws, shells, and clams. They laughed, avancing menacingly towards Jack, who was too stunned to react as he faced the first one, the shark-faced man. The rest of the crew stood still.

"We came to talk, Captain," spoke the fishman, with a sharp voice, "Ye might want to hear us."


	17. Chapter 17 : Willing to risk

**A/N: AHOY, Mateys! I'm back with more of yer favourite story (I'm in piratey mood today, can't resist it! LOL)**

**Love the reviews, as always ;D **

**PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood… LMAO!! I adore your reviews !!! And my, Legolas and Jack are quite the charmers, I must say winks at them **_**Hello, boys…are you happy I updated?? I did it just for you!! gigggles and blows guys a kiss **_**LOL I love this… give them both a hug and a kiss from me, oh, and keep Jack away from the rum will you? (hear that, Capt'n? AWAY from the drink, I tell ye!) XD **

**All right, let's add a bit more spice to the story…oooo, things are startin' te get scary, ei? Seems like **_**we're off the edge of the map…here there be monsters!! Wooo!!**_

**Read and review, guys!**

**I love ya all!!**

**XOXO**

**Kayla**

"Why is that?" Jack asked, adding right after, "What do you want?"

"We've come to talk to you about your little princess," continued shark-face, and he made a necklace appear in his hand, showing it to Jack. The other two cronies sniggered.

Jack's heart leapt at the sight of Kayla's necklace, and he drew his gun out, poiting it towards the creature without second thought, cold-blooded, "Where have you taken her?" he asked directly and fiercly, avoiding any other kind of comment. His commanding voice demanded nothing but a clear, immediate answer.

"Are you sure that's a smart thing to do, Captain?"

"Killing you would only make it harder, but I'd find her anyway. Now tell me," Jack ordered through clenched teeth, "_Where is she?_"

The three men didn't speak for a moment, but merely exchanged glances, and finally a second one spoke, "Our master has taken her."

"Your…master?" asked Jack.

"Davy Jones." Hissed one of the creatures, with evident fear and respect of the name.

Jack shivered, "_He_ took her?" he asked, "Why?"

"You have a debt to pay, Jack Sparrow," announced sharkface, "_And your time is up_."

"Where? Where is she now? I WANT TO KNOW WHERE SHE IS!" Jack waved his gun menacingly towards the three, who started to back away slowly, hissing.

"She's in his layer, Captain." Said one.

"Aye," said another, "In his layer. After Shadowland."

"After Shadowland," continued the third, "You must cross it to get there."

"Get there," resumed the first, "And get your princess."

"Your princess," explained the second, "Is waiting."

"She's waiting," finished the third.

"Get there and pay your debt if you want her back, Captain." Said the first one, before they turned and splashed back into the water, disappearing from sight without any further explanation.

Jack retierved his gun and ran, leaning over the rail to try and seek them, with no luck. Spinning directly around, he gazed at the still stunned crew.

"Well?" he demanded, barking, "What are you waiting for? Get to work! Move it! We need to get though this place and to that bloody layer NOW!" he saw nobody moved, and continued, "MEN!" he roared, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? I MEAN _NOW_!"

Still, none of the pirates gave sign of following his orders. Jack, who jerked his head back and forth in astonishment, fired Gibbs with a glance, demanding an explanation.

"Capt'n, see, eh…" Gibbs stuttered, "I…I think that the crew and I…well…we…"

"We don't want to go in there!" one of the pirates cried out, followed by a general murmur of agreement.

"It's too dangerous!" said another.

"We want to turn back!"

"Leave the treasure where it is!"

"We're going to get ourselves killed!"

"And _she's_ not worth it!"

Hearing this last comment, Jack lost the last bit of temper that was keeping him together, and without a second thought he drew his gun once again and poited it generically around, as to threat every one of the pirates. Everybody fell quiet.

"Now you listen to me, ye blasted good for nothing scallywags," he said, "I will absolutely NOT tolerate ANY kind of objection at this point. If you thought the treasure wasn't worth it, well them I'm sorry mates, you should've turned back before. But now I accept no excuses. I want you dogs to take this ship into that portal and out the other side straight away, and not another word, is that clear? And if somebody else _dares_ say it's not worth it," he spun around menacingly, "I will personally kill him on the spot. _Savvy, mates?_"

Normally, the crew would have chosen this as the opportune moment to mutiny against the Captain, but, seeing his anger and, most of all, the wild fire that was now burning into his eyes, nobody dared do anything but quietly scurry to their positions and get the _Pearl _going.

Jack placed his gun back in it's place, satisfied. He had not intended to threaten his own crew, but the terror he was feeling from Kayla's capture had made him take whatever measures he thought necessary. And, hopefully, that would have been the last threat he'd have to use.

"_Hang in there, luv,_" he thought as the _Pearl_ dived into the black emptiness, "_I'm coming to get you._"

As soon as the ship entered Shadowland completely, all the noises instantly disappeared. The silence was almost unbearable, but nobody dared comment. Jack stood still on the upper deck, watching the blackness devour them. They soon found there was no need to guide the ship, which seemed to be pulled forward by some invisible force.

While they carried on through the dark, Jack thought about the three messengers' words and what they'd said about him having a debt with Davy Jones.

Yes, indeed it was true: thirteen years before, the sea creature had accepted to retrieve the _Pearl_ from the ocean's depths and make Jack it's Captain, under one severe condition. When the time would come – thirteen years, exactly – Jack would have to render his own soul to him, and join his crew of damned sailors for one hundred years. Of course, Jack knew his time was up, but for some reason he'd hoped to get away with his deal, and seeing Davy apparently wasn't hunting him down, he'd begun to think he'd made it.

Obviously, he was wrong.

The reason he'd been slightly hesitant to go through the last part of the journey when Kayla had informed them that the treasure was actually in Davy's layer was precisely this; he was afraid the monster would finally get to him. In the end, he'd chosen to take the risk, and as for the present moment, he knew that, if he happened to have the slightest choice of turning back before Kayla got captured, right now, he did not, and he'd have to get to the cove, willing or not. The Captain began to wonder why Davy Jones had captured Kayla: how did he know Jack would've immediately followed her? Obviously, he thought right after, Davy had merely started stalking them when they'd first entered Silent Valley and had seen the effect Kayla had on him.

He certainly could never have imagined the truth: Jack Sparrow was used to fooling people, not being fooled.


	18. Chapter 18 : When The Truth Hurts

**A/N: Yo, ho yo, ho… a Pirate's life for me! LOL Sorry couldn't help it…I know I kept you guys waiting but here's more! Personally I think you're going to enjoy this update very much… read on and tell me if I was right! ;)**

**Mysterios victoria, I hope I haven't been keeping you waiting TOO long this time! I'll read your stories now!**

**PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood…you have got to STOP with these reviews, I nearly choked on my soda as I read the last one! XD (BTW I'm joking on the "stopping it" thing…DON'T! LOL these little scenes make my day XD)**

**Love to all**

**XOXO**

**Kayla**

Meanwhile, at the other end of Shadowland, Davy Jones himself emerged from the depths, dragging a defeated Kayla behind him. She sputtered and gasped for air as they surfaced, and though she tried to oppose to his grip, she couldn't muster the strenght to do it.

The layer was hidden inside what looked like a huge mountain standing in the middle of the sea. Before one could enter it, though, they'd have to pass an initial entrance made of rocks and guarded by Davy's crew, which was always on alert and ready to strike any unwanted visitors. Then, once inside, there was a sheer rock wall, and behind it, there was the cove. To get there, one would have to dive straight into the water and through a small passage.

The layer itself consisted into a dark, gloomy cavern, half made of rocks and half decorated with the interiors of what had once been a fancy ship. The result of the two put together was quite strange, yet marvellous: slimy, wet rocks gradually melded into old-fashioned wooden walls, and a creepy, oversized organ stood on one of the shores. The enormous rock roof towered high above, and circularly covered the cavern. On one side of the cove there was the broken-down prow of an ancient ship, which rose semi-vertically from the water. All around, there was a winding crooked pathway made of sand and rocks, which connected various little shores that circled the layer: on one, was the organ, and that was where Davy and Kayla resurfaced.

Davy Jones finally let go of Kayla, and the girl collasped on the floor, clutching her sore wrist and panting for air.

"You have greatly disappointed me, Kayla," he spoke seriously, "I was starting to think I could trust you…evidently you can't trust anyone with a heart."

Still breathing heavily, Kayla responded, "If you think I'll say I'm sorry, you're wrong."

"I don't expect ye to be sorry," he replied, "I expect ye to be reasonable and finish yer task."

"I thought I'd made it clear before," said Kayla rather acidly, rising finally to her feet and facing him, "I will not help you anymore, Davy. _I will not_."

As she stood in front of him, Davy, who was smoking his pipe, couldn't help but grin, "You are so bold, Kayla. I've always admired that of you."

"Oh, don't think your sweet talk will help you get to me this time," muttered Kayla, turning her back on him.

"Kayla, ye know better than me that you won't betray me that easily."

"And why is that, may I ask?" she demanded, turning her head towards him.

"You're still too influence by yer past, and ye still have a beating heart. And remember," he added, stepping closed to her, "A broken heart doesn't forget. You can't-"

"Davy, stop it!" she snapped, turning around completely.

"See?" he continued, still standing dangerously near, "I know ye too well, Kayla. You want to forget yer past…"

"No, no, stop it, please…" Kayla said softly, trying to cover her ears to block out his voice, invain.

"…But the truth is, dear, you'll have to deal with it forever. Tell me, do ye think you've forgotten what you did? _Do you?_"

"Stop…no…" she continued to beg, cowering slightly and dreading each word he said.

"What is it you want to forget? What is it ye desperately try to keep secret, hidden, even to yerself? Eh? Is it the fact that you sold me yer soul for someone ye didn't even love?" his voice had begun to grow, and he was now pacing around Kayla, who's arms were around her head, preparing for the words that would make her break, which Davy spoke right after. "Or," he said, "Is it the fact that as soon as that lad left ye, ye came to realize that ye sold yer soul not because ye loved the boy, but because ye loved someone else…"

She braced herself for the certain wave of pain and desperation.

"…Because ye'd fallen in love…_with me_?" he stopped in his tracks, whispering these last words in her ear. By now, tears had begun to flood from Kayla's eyes, and she began to sob. He shook his head."Kayla, Kayla, Kayla, ye want to know what make me think ye won't betray me?" She didn't say anything, and he answered himself. "Because deep down, ye still love me. I know ye do, Kayla. I know it. And ye know it as well."

Kayla sobbed, shaking uncontrollably: she was desperate, because he knew how to tear her down, and most of all, because she knew he was right. Every word he'd said was true.

She'd felt captured by him right from the start, when she still didn't know almost anything about him. When she'd agreed to sell him her soul, she'd tried to ignore her feelings, telling herself it was simply gratitude she had towards him for saving Eric. However, when Eric had abandoned her soon after her sacrifice, she'd realised that she'd stopped loving him for a long time. Precisely, ever since she'd seen Davy. By then, she knew all about him and his missing heart, but something inside her had convinced her that she could've been the one to make him love again. She knew he'd given up his heart because of a woman, and finding herself in his same situation, she thought she'd be able to understand him, and make him see that there was still room for love in his life. So, she stayed with him without being forced to, and had kept on living by his side, uselessly trying to reach her goal, until, one day, she'd apparently given up. That had been the day he had announced he was going to use her for his plan. The idea of him deciding to use her so light-heartedly had made her finally open her eyes to the truth: he couldn't love. He simply couldn't. She'd agreed to fulfill his plan to kill Jack Sparrow, just to be able to get her freedom back and forget him once and for all. But then, she'd met Jack, and though her heart had turned cold and was unwilling to love, he'd found a way to make her feel again. And now, just as she'd finally given in to the fact that she loved someone who could actually love her back, everything had come crashing down. And Davy had been able, once again, to gain a grip on her heart, and the fact that she was now crying proved it. She didn't want to fall in his trap again, but she knew she would never resist it.

"What makes you think my heart is still yours?" she finally managed to ask, wiping away her tears, "What makes you think I'm not strong enough to let you go? What makes you think Jack-"

"Jack! HA!" Davy laughed out loud, "Kayla, I wouldn't be surprised if Jack turned around and ran away. What makes _you_ think he loves you? You should know better than to trust yer heart by now." He grinned wickedly, now facing her, "And even if what you say is true, I know one thing's for sure," he took her shoulders and whispered, "_I will always have a grip on yer heart._"

And then, suddenly, without any warning, he drew her to him and kissed her. And, altough she knew he was a monster, altough the image of Jack's kiss was still fresh in her mind, and altough the fact that he was doing it without any feeling was evident, Kayla felt all her defences leave her and gave in to the kiss. As he pulled away, it took Davy one look at her eyes to make him entirely sure that whatever wall she'd built against him, whatever feeling she'd felt for Jack, whatever she'd said before, she was once again under his spell, and he knew _that_ was not about to change.

"_She's mine,_" he thought satisfactionally to himself, looking at Kayla's dazed face.


	19. Chapter 19 : Fear

**A/N: I'm feeling generous today, so here's another – shorter – update! I like your reviews too much, guys! XD**

**All right let's comment:**

**PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood, of course you DON'T need pills! Whenever did you come up with **_**that**_**? XD LOL !! Oh my, seems like you and Jack had quite an andventure, ei? Aww poor Legolas is left out! Oh I know.. SEND HIM OVER! I'LL KEEP HIM COMPANY:P**

**Thank you for thinking this chappie was good **

**Crowned Black Hearts, I honestly wouldn't know why your PC doesn't alert you…you're right, it's probably the sight anyway XD**

**XShadowCatX, I'm glad you like my story, but this isn't the ending yet!! Actually, you'll still have quite a bit more to read before that, so stay tuned!**

**Everybody else, thank you and enjoy the chappie!**

**BTW I know you might think Davy ain't exactly "prince charming" but hey, I kinda like him!! Anyway,**

**Love to all!**

**XOXO**

**Kayla**

Meanwhile, back on the _Pearl_ , the crew was silently sailing across the dead Shadowland.

It had been only a few hours since they'd first entered the black portal, but to Jack it felt like an eternity. He was terribly anxious, and for the first time in years, he felt also afraid.

He was afraid of a great number of things at the moment, actually.

He was afraid of facing Davy Jones.

He was afraid of having to pay his debt.

He was afraid of where they were headed.

He was afraid for Kayla.

But most of all, he was afraid they'd get there too late to save her.

Shaking his head, he tried to ban that thought from his mind, but it merely grew slightly weaker. Jack was sorry for the fact that nobody in the crew seemed too happy with him at the moment, but he also found it difficult to really give this matter any importance: right then, the only thing he wanted was to get to the cove as soon as possible.

He began to wonder why he felt so preoccupied for that girl. What _was_ it that made him so worried and anzious to get her back to him? Could it really be that _he, Captain Jack Sparrow,_ was in _love_? Well, something definitely had changed in him, if he had completely forgotten about the Lost Treasure, which had seemed to him like his only desire, the only thing he'd ever need in life, and was now heading to claim a girl who had touched his heart deeply. Undoubtly, the fact of having to face Davy Jones was scaring him off as well, but Jack was notorious for his courage and most of all for his cunning ways, so he tried just kept thinking he'd eventually find a way to compromise and be able to get away with it.

Meanwhile, the landscape had changed, rather, there was now something that nobody had noticed before: all that white smoke that had been surrounding them in little clouds, swirling about, was now changing shape, and becoming human forms, more distinctly with every passing minute. Jack understood that those were all the souls Davy Jones had captured, and he shivered at the thought that this emptiness should be his soul's rightful place at the moment.

Jack wasn't a total cheater, he had known the risks his pact with Davy had compromised; he was simply too scared to face his destiny, and was praying to find a way to continue living. He surely wasn't ready to surrender his soul and give up his entire life. Not even if-

He felt cold chills run up his spine as the thought hit him: what if Davy Jones threatened to harm Kayla if he didn't pay up? What would he do then? Would he be able to walk away knowing he'd sacrificed an innocent girl's life for his own?

Just as those thoughts had begun to choke him, he was brought back to reality by Gibbs.

"Eh…Capt'n?" he asked cautiously, afraid Jack might start yelling at him right away.

"What is it?" Jack answered with a discouraged voice that was very unlike his own.

"Well, ye see, I…" Gibbs began, looking around to check nobody was hearing before walking up to Jack and changing tone of voice, "Jack, for the love of God, what's gotten into you mate?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," answered Jack, who didn't really feel like having that kind of discussion.

"You know, threatening us and yelling like that. Jack, ye can't take these risks! Right now the crew's obeying yer orders, but when we get back outside this place, well…I'd start planning something, if ye don't want to risk another mutiny."

"And who says we'll get back?" said Jack.

Gibbs froze at his dark words, and mumbled, "J-Jack! What on earth are ye-"

"Gibbs, look, I really appreciate you warning me, but," he turned with a defeated look on his face, "I can't worry about that now, savvy? I've got to save Kayla. I can't let her stay there. There's an accord between me and Davy Jones, and it's time to face it. I've got to, mate"

Gibbs, seeing Jack's sad but strong determination, said nothing more, and walked away, leaving Jack more anxious than before. After what seemed like forever to Jack, he heard a voice shouting from the crow's nest: "LAND AHEAD!"

Everybody rushed forwards to have a look, and Jack felt his heart lightening slightly when he saw a light coming from what seemed like a long dark tunnel formed by Shadowland.

"Excellent!" he cried out to the rest of the crew, regaining some of his confidence, "We're almost there, gents! Come on, everybody get to work, and let's get this beauty out of this godforsaken land straight away!"

The pirates, who felt relieved as much as Jack to see an ending to the awful Shadowland, gladly resumed working positions and began to direct the _Pearl_ towards the exit of the landscape. In no time, the sails were spread out, and the ship began to quicken it's pace. They saw that in fact there was a steadily growing wind that was blowing from behind them, and in a few moments it became an intense gale, and the blackness around them began to rush away faster and faster, until the pirates and Jack had to hold on to something.

Finally, with one last plunge, the _Pearl_ shot out of Shadowland and leaped in the air for a few moments, before hitting water. The crew stumbled forward from the impact, and when they got back on their feet, they saw the one thing visible was a high mountain that rose from the ocean not too far from them. Jack couldn't help grinning to himself, he was glad they'd made it, even though his quest had only just begun. Taking control of the rudder, he started directing the ship towards the mountain, which, he figured, could have been only one thing: Davy Jone's layer.


	20. Chapter 20 : 'Ello, Beastie

**It's with great pleasure that I present the next chappie to all you faithful readers!! **

**I'm not sure 100 yet, but I think I'll wait a bit more before I post again… **

**I guess it's just because I wanna see how many reviews I can get !! **

**But please, don't despair, I have not abandoned you, mates!**

**I'll keep posting on my other stories, I'm just pausing this one because we're starting to head towards the end and I wouldn't want to make that happen too soon, get it? Don't hate me, please… **

**Thanks to all of those who keep reading, I really appreciate all of your comments…honestly! **

**Check out my other stories as well, if you like the DavyXOC pairing I've got two of 'em going, if you want more of Jack there's the Little Mermaid based one!**

…**And don't you worry, I'll be back with more of THIS story in no time!!**

**Okay?**

**Love to all!!**

**XOXO**

**Kayla**

When, after some time, they got close enough to see that there was a crack in the side of the mount that lead inside. Jack stopped the ship and left the rudder, walking to the side of the ship to take a better look at the entrance. The crew gathered around him, waiting.

"Well gents," he spoke finally, turning to face them, "Seems like we've made it after all. And it looks like it's up to me to decide what comes next, seeing Kayla's not here to tell us." He took a deep breath and continued, "The entrance looks wide enough for the _Pearl _to pass, _however_," he added hearing the immediate murmurs come from the crew, "I will _not_ have you take any more risks from now on. Everybody's help was needed to get here, but now, what's waiting for me is personal. I have therefore decided to continue on my own. I assure you that, should I find anything of common interest inside, I shall gladly announce it to you. Here are my orders while I'm gone," he began, trying to maintain a matter-of-factly way of speaking to hide his fear, "I want you all to stay here and do nothing that could compromise your lives of the _Pearl's_ integrity, savvy? Do _not_ come looking for me. If I should not return by nightfall, keep to the code and go back straight away, savvy?" He looked around and saw random approving nods, but he also noticed that – fortunately – most of the crewmembers seemed worried about his decision. "_Maybe I'm not such a lousy Captain after all," _Jack though to himself, before speaking once more, "Now, my effects, if you please," and he took his coat and hat from Gibbs, wearing both, "And now, get me one of those damn lifeboats, and make it quick."

Soon, Jack was climbing into the small boat, taking the oars into his hands and starting to move away from the ship. He watched as the sailors looked silently at his lonesome figure, which soon entered the huge cavernous entrance. As he entered in the shadows, Jack tried to keep his cool and continued pushing the boat forwards into the pitch-black darkness. Suddenly, he heard a soft thump, and jumped, looking down at the water: there, underneath the surface, stood two of Jones's messengers, one of them holding a strange lamp that glowed eerily underwater. They looked at him for a few moments before resurfacing.

"Welcome, Captain," the sharkface messenger greeted him.

"Glad to see ye could make it, mate," said the other one.

"Enough with the welcomes," Jack cut him off, "Where is she?"

The two creatures exchanged glances before answering, "In a rush, eh? Well, don't worry, Captain, you'll get your lass back soon enough. For now, follow us."

"What?" asked Jack, perplexed, "Where?"

"Under the water, of course," stated sharkface, "It's the only passage to the Captain's layer."

"Oh, bloody Hell!" Jack grumbled, taking his coat and hat off before diving headfirst into the icy water.

He followed the two creatures, which lit the way downward. Soon, they reached an underwater passage, at the end of which Jack saw a light. His heart skipped a beat: Kayla was on the other side! The creatures stopped at the entrance of the passageway and pointed forwards, indicating that he should carry on alone. Quickly, sensing he needed oxygen, Jack pushed his body through the water and across the slim tunnel, scraping his sides with the protuding rocks and proudly ignoring the pain. Swimming, he saw the end of the tunnel approaching more and more, and soon he was out of it and heading for the surface, thrusting heavily in the water, desperate for air. He broke the surface just in time, and began taking in lungfulls of fresh air. He looked around and gazed at the layer: suprisingly, he saw there was absolutely no treasure around. He wondered why Kayla had lied to him. Then, he spotted the little beach where the organ was set and moved in that direction, finally touching the sand with his feet and rising out of the water.

"DAVY! DAVY JONES!" he bellowed, regaining more and more strenght and growing anger with each passing minute, "WHERE ARE YOU? COME OUT AND FACE ME! I'M READY FOR YOU, MATE!"

He heard a deep, evil snigger come from the shadows and spun around, "Well well well," said a voice he immediately recognized, "If it isn't dear Captain Jack, come to claim his bonnie lass and pay his final debt!"

"'Ello, beastie," said Jack, wearing a grin and greeting Davy Jones, who rose from the shadows, "I've come to end this…once and for all." 


	21. Chapter 21 : The Captain's Doom

**Hello, mates! I'm back! Happy? I bet you all are! ) I have to say, I was thrilled to receive so many reviews telling me to add more, it really meant a lot to be because it showed how much you guys like my story! Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart! ****hugs readers I don't think I could be able to comment all of your wonderful comments, but just so you know, I've laughed my head off reading most of them :P thank you for making me smile, folks!**

**And a present for your loyalty to my writing…THE NEXT UPDATE! dun dun dun!! I promise this is going to be a GOOD one! ;) I know I said I'd wait but I don't have the heart to make you suffer any longer LOL I even put a nice long chapter to please you!**

**So…here it is, folks.**

**And once again, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!**

**I love you guys! **

**XOXO**

**Kayla **

"End this? So, dear friend, looks like ye've worked up the courage to come face me, eh?" Davy Jones commented sarcastically, "Should I be scared, or honoured, I ask myself?"

"Enough with the sarcasm," said Jack, "You know what I came here for. Where's Kayla?"

Davy narrowed his eyes and spoke in almost a whisper, "Ah, yes. Of course. The gal. Well, we were waiting for ye, actually. Kayla, darling…would you care to join us?"

Jack's heart was now racing as he watched Kayla's figure appear from where Davy had come. She began walking towards Jack and stopped in front of him. Just then he noticed that her movements were odd, and most of all, there was something wrong in her eyes: they were unfocused, and her face was expressionless. He frowned: what had gotten into her?

"K-Kayla?" he attempted to ask, "Kayla…luv, it's me, Jack!" he delicately took hold of her shoulders, looking for a sign from her that would let him know she had recognized him. Unfortunately, no sign came. He turned his attention to Davy, who was standing quitely, enjoying the scene, "What have you done to her?"

He received an evil cackle as an answer, "_I, _Jack, have done absolutely nothing. Instead, why don't you ask your sweet Kayla," and hearing him call out her name, Kayla turned automatically and walked over to his side, as he lay one hand on her shoulder, "What _she's_ done to _you_?"

"What…what are you talking about?" demanded Jack anxiously, not understanding.

Again, Davy laughed in front of his evident fear, "Isn't she a fabulous actrice, Jack? Don't you think?" he asked, taking Kayla's hands and bringing her close to him in a waltzing position.

"Stop it…" Jack heard Kayla whisper ever so softly, as an expression of weakness appeared for a split second on her face, before returning unreadable once more.

"Let her go!" It was now obvious to Jack that there was something wrong with Kayla, and he was desperately trying to figure out a way to save her, but curiosity took over him, and he repeated, "What do you mean?"

"I mean," explained Davy, stopping, "That your girl here has been working for _me_, the whole time!"

Jack felt his heart skip a beat as he heard Davy's words, without wanting to accept them, "You…YOU LIAR!" he yelled as he recovered, "YOU'RE LYING!"

"If you're so sure…why not ask _her_?" Davy challenged him, moving away from Kayla.

Jack's stare moved to Kayla, who was standing still and looking at him with tears in her eyes. He walked up to her, slowly, and stopped just in front of her.

"Please," he said softly, "Kayla, please tell me it isn't true."

As he watched Kayla's tears fall down her cheek, he knew Davy had done something to her to make her act so cold, and was now determined to end his spell. For all he knew, Kayla could be lying to him as well, if she was under Davy's control.

"Luv," he asked her sweetly, an idea suddenly occurring to him as he held her shoulders, "My name. Say it, luv. Please, listen to me! Say it…"

"Jack…" she said through sobs, "Captain...Captain Jack…"

His heart leaped once more, "Aye, luv, that's right! Come on, darling, look at me, Kayla!" He was now moving his head to try and make eye contact with her as she wiped the tears from her face, "Luv, look at me!"

Finally, she looked up, and her eyes locked with Jack's. He saw something happen right then: as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes, Jack caught a spark of life in Kayla's stare. He was doing it! He was breaking the spell!

"That's right, luv. Keep looking at me," he said in a soothing voice, "Just keep looking-"

"No!" Davy, who had been witnessing the scene, suddenly yelled, understanding Jack's intentions, "Kayla, stop it! Stop looking at him! Listen to me, Kayla!"

"Luv, _don't_ listen to him," Jack whispered to her, "Just keep eye contact with me, savvy?"

"KAYLA! COME HERE AT ONCE!"

"Kayla, luv," said Jack, pulling her closer and keeping his calming voice, "You have to remember me. _Please_ remember me…you can't have forgotten me. You can't have forgotten us. You can't have forgotten…_this_," and with that, he took Kayla in his arms and kissed her tenderly.

Kayla's eyes became wide opened, as Davy Jone's spell was broken: indeed, he had forced her to be under his control by kissing her before, but now, with Jack's lips upon hers, Kayla's heart began to beat faster, and she felt overwhelmed with the emotion she'd felt not too long before towards him: _love_. As she pulled away, everything was clear to her once more. Jack gladly saw she now looked at him with a renowed warmth and feel.

"Jack, I…AH!" she yelled, as one of Davy's tentacled arms suddenly tugged her away, and dragged her by Davy's side.

As soon as she was once again besides him, he immediately drew his sword and placed the blade across Kayla's neck. He looked furious.

Jack reacted by drawing his own sword, but didn't dare to make a move in fear of what could happen to Kayla. "DON'T DO IT!" he exclaimed.

"_Love,_" Davy snorted, "What a terribly _foolish_ feeling. Don't make the mistake of thinking I _want_ to do this, Sparrow," he said, "You're not the only one who needs her."

Both Kayla and Jack were shocked for two different reasons: Jack couldn't well understand the sense of Davy's words; whilst Kayla, who did, couldn't believe Davy had just said them…if, that is, he meant them in the way Kayla thought he did.

"All right, what do you want?"

"Ye know what I want, Jack," said Davy, serious, "Ye own me yer soul. Ye're time's up, and ye know it. It's time to pay yer debt."

"I will," said Jack, after a moment of silence.

"NO!" Kayla cried out, "Don't listen to him, Jack! Don't do it!"

"Let her go," he continued, "And I'll pay my soul debt."

Davy smiled, but Jack immediately added, "You have to _swear_ she'll be safe from _any_ harm!"

"Fine, I will," came the answer, as Davy pushed Kayla away from him, "You pay up and the girl's free as a bird. If she gets hurt, you'll get yer soul back."

"Jack…" said Kayla weakly, rushing to him and placing a hand on his chest to stop him, "You don't have to do this. Please, don't. Don't do this. You musn't!"

"I have to, luv," said Jack coldly without looking at her, moving past her and towards his doom.

Davy Jones was waiting for him, and Jack, with one last glance towards Kayla, stepped in front of him and prepared to face his death. As Davy raised his sword and prepared to strike the fatal blow, Jack closed his eyes.

It happened in a flash: as he was waiting to feel the cold metal pierce his body, Jack heard running footsteps, followed by the ghastly sound of iron cutting through flesh and a small gasp, and opened his eyes, gasping with horror at what he saw.


	22. Chapter 22 : Sacrifice

**A/N: All right, I'm done torturing you with suspence! LOL this here is probably the last one before the conclusive chapter…**

**x-thekookie…LOL no need to threaten me mate, as you can see I update pretty fast ;)**

**PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood…all commets to your reviews superfluous (sp?) YOU ROCK GIRL XD ROFL**

**I can't say how much I appreciate all you guys reading this, but I'll thank you all properly at the very end!**

**Oh well…BTW can you guys believe I got flamed on my new story? sniff sniff … it's sad! Oh well whatever, like I care anyways XD All right back to us…**

**Tissues, everyone, this is a sad one:( **

**DUN DUN DUN !!!! XD**

**Love to all,**

**XOXOX**

**Kayla**

Kayla was standing in front of him, and Davy's blade was cutting her straight in the middle, from side to side. Davy looked shocked as well, and retrieved the blade rapidly. "Kayla," he whispered, too stunned to move.

"Deal's…broken…Davy…I'm_…sorry_…" she managed to say, her breath catching in her throat with every word. The girl stayed still for a couple of moments, her eyes losing focus and her body swaying, until she fell backwards, and Jack caught her, sinking to his knees and lieing her down, holding her in his arms.

"Kayla…" he whispered, before yelling, "NO! KAYLA!" He buried his face in her neck and began rocking her back and forth, sobbing, "What have you done?" Then, he raised his gaze, full of anger, and looked at Davy, who was still standing besides them, "YOU KILLED HER!" he yelled, "YOU KILLED KAYLA! HOW COULD YOU?"

Davy was too stunned to answer: he was trying to understand what was making him stand still, what was stopping him from raising his sword once more and striking the now vulnerable Jack Sparrow, what was making him _feel… How could he be feeling __**anything**__ at all…without a heart?_

Jack suddenly got up, gently leaving Kayla's body, and came face-to-face with Davy, enraged.

"How could you?" he demanded, "Do you realise what you've done?"

Davy was still speechless, but had managed to recompose himself.

"You killed an innocent girl!" Jack continued, "What reason did you have to kill her, Davy? You wanted to get MY bloody soul, and MINE ONLY! Now tell me, WAS IT WORTH IT? HUH? WAS IT?"

"I tried to save her," Davy began to try and justify himself, "She got in the way!"

"And now, because of our bloody deal, Kayla's gone! GONE!" Jack continued yelling, ignoring his useless explanations, "Don't you realize-"

But he was interrupted as a massive shock wave hit the cove, making the walls and water tremble.

"What the devil was _that?_" demanded Davy, genuinely surprised.

"I don't know," said Jack, looking upwards, "But it didn't sound too-"

Another massive shock hit, sending both men off their feet.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?" bellowed Jack.

"WATCH OUT, FOOL!" Davy said, suddenly leaping forward and pushing them both out of the way as a massive boulder crashed on the spot where they'd been standing just seconds before. The two of them began to look around, and saw that other boudlers, small at first, but increasingly growing in size, had begun to fall downward.

"YOUR BLOODY COVE IS FALLING TO PIECES!" Jack shouted, "WE'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

But turning around, he noticed only then that one of Davy's legs was caught underneath the boulder that he had just pushed Jack away from. Davy was desperately trying to free himself, with little success. Jack didn't know what to do: he had to get himself and Kayla out of there and back outside before the entire cove caved in, but for some reason he wasn't too keen on leaving Davy dieing there. True, he had all the resons to do so, but even though he was a trickster and a theft, Jack Sparrow was not a murderer. Watching all the rocks hit the water and the land around them, he felt pity towards Davy, who was still trapped. So, he took a hesitant step towards the struggling Captain, who grabbed his sleeve and pulled him closer.

"Listen, Jack," he said in a commanding tone, "I want you to get out of here right now! Take Kayla, go in the water and run outside. Understood?"

Jack, what with all the commotion around them, couldn't react to the fact that he was being given orders. "But…" he said.

"DAMN IT, SPARROW!" bellowed Davy, "DO YOU THINK IT'S WISE TO GET ALL OF US KILLED? YOU HEARD THE GIRL, THE DEAL IS BROKEN! NOW COME ON AND GET THE BLOODY HELL OUT OF HERE! NOW! THAT'S AN ORDER, SPARROW! " he pushed Jack away with all his might, and he almost fell back.

The situation was now chaotic: the downpour of rocks and boulders was still growing, and by now an earthquake had begun. Jack couldn't quite understand what was making him so hesitant, but at last, with one final look towards Davy, he snapped out of his daze.

Rushing over to Kayla's lifeless body, he was relieved to see she hadn't been hit by anything, and carefully took her limp body in his arms. Then, he ran to the shore, careful to avoid the rocks, and dived into the sea, disappearing under the surface and refusing to look back until he was safe inside the tunnel.

Meanwhile, Davy Jones furiously continued to fight, as his own cove crashed down on him.


	23. Epilogue : Shadowland, Jack's Vow

****

**A/N: I can't believe I've already come to this point…ok guys, this is it: the last chapter. I'm sorry the story is over already, but I'm proud of how it came out, don't you agree? **

mysterious victoria – i got you hooked, eh? P , XshadowCatX – well, the right question is : is he **really** dead? ;) ; xthekookie- no problem mate, it's cool to have someone thret-er, I mean ENCOURAGE you to update frequently XD ; PIRATEical ELF of Mirkwood – whoopie, are we getting more guys in the club? Me likeys…especially if the new entries are so HOT! ; Weatherfac – LOL, you're right, "squished Davy" definately doesn't sound good! ; mexicanchica – sorry to disappoint you mate, hope you'll be a bit happier with this chapter!

To you and to everybody else who read my story, two words: _**THANK YOU! **_

Your reviews all made me so proud and happy ! It's so cool to have such wonderful supporters! I hope you're all happy with the ending…I promise I'll keep writing, even though this one's over!

Once again I thank you all very much, and for the last time…

NEW CHAPPIE !!!

Enjoy, folks.

This one's for you!!

Love to all,

XOXO

Kayla

Jack finally reached the other side of the tunnel, and as he broke the surface he noticed that the cave they were now in wasn't falling apart. He quickly swam to the edge of the lifeboat and gently put Kayla's body inside, not daring to stop to think about what was happening. He feared the cave would start crumbling soon, and wanted to make sure both him and Kayla were safe.

So, climbing on board, he hastily began to push the little boat out of the cave, and continued moving them across the water until at last they pulled up besides the _Pearl_.

He saw the pirates spot him and start yelling and rushing about to prepare for his arrival, and sure enough, no sooner had the life boat docked besides the ship that somebody threw down a rope to help him get back aboard.

Using every bit of strenght left in him, Jack pulled himself upwards, holding Kayla, as tears began to form in his eyes, and by the time he reached the rail, they had begun to fall.

Seeing Kayla, everybody cheered at first, before seeing Jack climb akwardly over the rail and set her body delicately on the deck. Suddenly, everybody grew quiet.

Jack, still under shock for what he had just experienced, began to understand what had happened and, looking at Kayla's lifeless body, suddenly felt his heart sink and took her gently in his lap, holding her shoulders close to him and starting to sob uncontrollably.

"Kayla…" he wept, "Oh, Kaya…luv, why did you do this? Kayla…darling…"

His words were drowned in his sobs, and the rest of the crew stood in silence around them, everybody taking off their hats and lowering their heads. Gibbs's eyes – and not only his – shone with tears at the sight of Captain Jack, utterly destroyed, lying in front of them in an abyss of pain and desperation.

Jack couldn't think. He couldn't think about anything else, if not that Kayla's cold body was

standing still in his arms, dead, because she had sacrificed her life for him. She had betrayed him, that was true. She had tricked him, she had been working for Davy Jones to get Jack killed. But he knew that there was a reason why she'd done that, and he'd seen Davy's spell cast upon her. He'd been able to break it, and Kayla had gone back to her own self. She'd know what she was doing. She'd sacrificed herself willingly. She'd done it without a second thought. She'd done it…because she loved him. Because she loved him, and couldn't stand to see him die. She'd done it only for him. They all stayed still for a long time, nobody daring to interrupt the moment. The cold around them was not only due to the weather, and the silence was broken only by Jack's occasional sobs.

"_What am I going to do now?"_ he asked himself, _"How can I go on knowing I got her killed because of my selfishness? Because of my fear of facing my destiny? Kayla, luv, why did you have to do that? Why did you have to get killed? How am I going to go on without you? I loved you, Kayla, now I know it's true. I've aways loved you, and now I realize I can't go on without you near me. If there was anything, anything at all that could be done to have you back, I swear I-"_

His thoughts were interrupted by a flasback: Kayla, explaining the different landscapes…talking about Shadowland… _"Shadowland is where all the souls go. So, if you ever need to find a soul, that's the one place where you'll find it"_…and suddenly, it hit him: there _was_ a way to bring her back to him!

Ever so slowly, he rose to his feet, looking ahead of them, where the portal to Shadowland could be seen in the distance. He didn't speak immediately, and the crew waited for him to say something.

"_Shadowland…_" he finally murmured, almost to himself.

"C…Capt'n?" asked Gibbs, confused.

"Shadowland," Jack repeated, turning his attention to the crew, "Shadowland is where all the souls go. If we need to find a soul, that's the one place we want to go to." Gibbs, who was beginning to understand along with the other sailors, wasn't surprised when Jack, regaining his commanding tone, suddenly ordered, "Positions, everybody," and he drew his sword, poiting it towards the black hole in front of them, "_We've got a soul to save._"

Once again, nobody dared stand up against him, and as they all got to work to get the _Pearl _up and running, Jack, without another word, walked over to Kayla, gently bent down, picked her up, and then straightened up, turning silently and walking slowly towards his cabin.

"_Don't worry, luv,_" he thought, gazing at Kayla's face, "_I'll bring you back to me. I promise."_

And he stepped inside his cabin door, ignoring all the sounds from the outside and the voices calling his name, and closing the door behind him.

**A/N: Yeah, me again…sorry, I had to post this at the bottom of the page for obvious spolier reasons…**

**Yes, I know, the ending is **_**not**_** conclusive, and yes, in case you're wondering, I **_**do**_** have a sequel planned. But I can't say how much it's going to take before I post it – I have the first couple chapters written down, but the plot gets more complex so the story's much harder to write. However, don't despair, I promise I'll put it up soon…you just keep an eye out for news, okay? **

**I hope you liked this ending for now!! For the time being, feel free to make up your own conclusion if you wish (and let me know what you come up with! P) **

**All right, this time for real…a huge hug and kiss to all of you,**

**With love**

**XOXO**

**Kayla Sparrow**


	24. Author's Note !

**A/N: Hi guys! I just wanted to warn everyone who read this story and – possibly – like it that I've begun to post the sequel to it! It's called "Quest for Chaos". If you enjoyed this story, then I suggest you go check the sequel out! ;) I'll wait for your reviews!**

**Just thought you'd like to know…**

**Love to all !!**

**XOXOX**

**Kayla**


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